Of fire and demons
by Eya Hino
Summary: What do you have when you take a girl, whos heart hates Kikyo and wears 3 Shikon Jewel shards around her neck, and throw her into the upside down world of Naruto on a mad man's adventure to find a sword.Inu Nar crossover bit AU and Shena is a OC
1. In the begining

Nice to see someone is really reading my story tear I feel so special.

Ok before we start I just want to clear up some things.

One Shena is **not** a Mary sue but is a main character in this story. She knows Inuyasha and the gang (will explain how in later chapters), and she is 100 percent human.

This is my first fanfic so please review and be nice 

Thank you!



"You did what?!"

"Shena I didn't mean to."

"Didn't mean to? Didn't mean to!?"

"I swear she had me under a spell."

"Spell! Lair! You Worthless, spineless, piece of carp!"

"Now that's a little harsh."

"Harsh? Harsh! Don't even begin to say I'm being harsh Totosai. Do you even know what you've done?"

"Of course I know." Totosai whispered.

The old man looked up at the young girl that was standing before him glaring down with pale green eye filled with rage. Back hair that reached her waist was pulled back in a long braid. Her skin was pale with high check bones. Her lips were thin and sleek and unpainted. She was thin also. Here clothes that any normal woman human would say were weird hugged her young stick figure. She wore a dress of some heavy brown cloth, the hem coming a few inches above her knees. The shelves were long coming to her writs in a fan out design stitch, like the hem of her skirt, with black threaded dragons. A long white silk ribbon loped around her waist ending in a prefect bow in the back.

The girl standing before him was only 12 years of age.

If Shena hadn't been so thin she would have been a very nice looking girl. But with her looks Shena also had a temper that was quick to flame and patience that was quite short.

Totosai knew this and knew the teapot Shena was holding was aimed at his head. Also that around Shena's neck was a necklace of sliver chain with three Shikon jewel shards on it hidden under her dress and dragon scale plate armor he himself had given her.

"Of course I know. I have made a sword with three Shikon Jewel in its center. I have made a weapon that is stronger then the Ttsusaige and Tensaige combined. Of course I know what I have done, Shena. Inuyasha gave me a firm bump on the head to remind me too."

Totosai had to duck as Shena took a savage swing at the old mans head with the with the teapot she was holding . Totosai covered his head as the teapot flew two inches over him smashing against the wooden walls of Shena's crudely mad hut.

Shena's knees hit the floor with a thump. Her eyes were in shadow so Totosai didn't know what she was thinking.

"Don't just sit there old man" Shena snapped here voice smooth. "Begin at the beginning."



"She, the demon, came to me no more then two months ago." Totosai eye gave a far off look. "She was beautiful. Slim body, curves in all the right places, skin as white as the moon."

Shena gave a agitated cough, glaring daggers at him.

"Cough Cough back to the story. I didn't know she was demon. She had no demon aura and she looked pretty much human. She came across to my cave in a simple human merchants wife dress. And what a thin dress it was… I mean she didn't look like a demon just a weary human woman."

"And the jewel shards?" Shena asked.

"Oh yes she had them. Three to be correct She said her husband's wagon had been attacked by demons killing all except her."

"Why just her?"

"Said she was in the field picking wild flowers when if happened. She also said the jewel shards were with her when it happened. Said she ran into the woods away from the demons. Then she came to my cave hoping to make a sword out of the jewel shards to avenge her husbands and friends deaths.

"And you believed her?" Shena snapped.

"Well not really but she begged and begged, said she would anything for me" At this Totosai blushed a deep pink.

"If I hadn't promised not to hit you…" Letting out a big sigh she continued. "Well. What happened next?" Shena said

"Well I made the sword of course. It took me 2 whole weeks to get the metal right for the sword to hold the Shikon jewel shards powers. After I made the sword I gave it to her. She laughed at me calling me an old fool. Then she transformed into her true demon from. Black wing, black claws all tied to that beautiful human body. She tried to kill me but I got away. Barely."

"And the sword?"

"So nice to see you concerned of my wounds…she took it with her. Heading south on the great black bird."

Moments passed silently. Shena stood pacing the floor of her small hut.

"Have you told Inuyasha?" She asked at last.

"Yes" Totosai answered. "And Kagoma, and the others. There are heading south as I speak."

"Well No reason for me to just stand here." Shena said.

Shena walk over to her bow and arrows hanging on the wall. After fling on her quiver and bow over her shoulder, she strapped a knife to her waist. Pulling on her knee high boot Shena stood and stare at Totosai with pale green eyes.

"Well Totosai I guess I'm bound south. You can go back to your cave now. Just don't get in trouble while I'm gone. O.K.?"



The sun rained down on the small village in the mountains. A small girl dressed in a merchant's daughter's dress danced through the streets laughing as she through a round a tiny red ball in the air catching it with two waiting hands.

A merchant at a near by stall smiled on seeing her.

"Well hello little Shena what do you have there?" he asked.

"Oh it's nothing Koro, just the greatest gift in the world!" Shena smiled a toothy grinning ear to ear.

"And why is that?" Koro asked.

"Because my father got it from a far off kingdom by the ocean bringing it back just for me." Shena explained.

"Well-"

"Open the gates! Lord Heita is returning form the felids" The gate guard's voice rippled through the small village.

"Father!" Shena yelled with excitement. "Bye Koro! Father is back! Farther is back!!!"

The small girl with her red ball in her hands ran to the gates as fast as she could pump her little legs.

The gates opened wide letting five horses enter. In the lead was a tall white horse with a middle age man riding tall on his back.

"Father! Father!" Shena yelled running to the white horse.

Sweeping down with one large arm Lord Heita scoped up his young daughter in one of his large arms.

"Well, well!" He laughed. "What are you doing in the market so late in the afternoon. You should be at the house helping your mother."

"Mother said I could go out and play." Shena explained. "What did you bring my father?"

With a laugh Lord Heita pulled a lily form one of his pockets. Shena gave a shriek of joy and clutch the lily like it was made of glass.

By this time Lord Heita horse had walked through the narrow street of the village and arrived at he door of his large Lords house.

"Darling!" A women with black hair and pale green eye ran out the front door running down the greet the horses.

"Mother look at what father got me" Shena yelled holding up the lily flower for her to see.

Lady Lonea smiled at her young daughter. "It's beautiful my little angel." Suddenly Lady Lonea eye narrowed

"What do you have under your shirt darling?" She asked

Lord Heita smiled. Reaching into his shirt he pulled out 3 pink shards shining in the afternoon light.

"What are they?" Lady Lonea whispered.

"I think the are called Shikon jewel shards." Lord Heita Answered.



Shena sat straight up, bow and arrow ready in her hand. Then with a sigh Shena leaned back against the tree she was sleeping under.

"A dream. Just a damn dream." She muttered under her breath.

With another sigh Shena relaxed and leaned her head back so she could look at the stars hanging overhead.

"Just a dream." Shena muttered as her eyes closed shut letting her slip back into a dark deep sleep.



"What was that?" Naruto stopped perched on the large limb of a tree in the forest of death. Naruto head dropped back looking up at the blue sky lying overhead.

"Naruto what is it? Did you see something?" Sakura said a few branches ahead.

"Dork. Naruto. Hey idiot! Damn it. Naruto!" Sasuke yelled landing a few feet away form Naruto.

"Huh?" Naruto said dragging his eyes away from the sky. "What? What did you say?"

"Sakura ask you if saw something Idiot." Sasuke snapped

"See something?" Naruto looked back at the sky. "No. Must of just imagined it." Naruto said finally.

The air shattered with an ear-piercing shriek. All three ninjas covered their faces as a monsters wind flew dirt, leaves, and twigs right at them.

Over head a giant black bird with silky black wings flew over head screaming it's presence to all. Flying south it disappeared over the treetops.

"What in the hell was that?!" Naruto said looking at the place the monster had disappeared at.

"I for one" Sasuke said turning and leaping to the next branched. "Don't want to find out. Come on I think I see a waterfall."

After a second or two Naruto and Sakura turned and followed with Naruto still looking back at the place where the giant bird had disappeared.


	2. The girl named Shena

"Inuyasha go ask Miroku if he has any more money, these coats are expensive."

"What do I look like, a servant? Go ask him yourself. And why, damn it, are you buying clothes anyway?"

"Inuyasha, sit." Kagome said. Inuyasha was forced to the ground. Falling like a brick. "We are not buying clothes we're buying coats. Unlike you and Shippo me, Sango and Miroku cannot live in the cold weather with out worm clothing.

Inuyasha jumped to his feet. "You don't need coat we're flying over the mountains on Kirara and that raccoon of Miroku's back!"

"Sit!" Again Inuyasha hit the ground. "Of course we need coats the air will be freezing cold.

With a mumble of displeasure Inuyasha got up once again and walked away to find were Miroku had slipped off to.



"For a monk you sure are dumb."

"It wasn't my fault"

Sango rolled her eyes and then gave a long sigh as she finished cleaning the cut on Miroku's shoulder.

"Run it by me again. You got that cut from a guy with an ax as a weapon?" Kagome asked.

"He asked the guy's girlfriend to '_please bear his child'_." Sango snapped pulling hard on Miroku's bandage.

"It was a simple Ouchquestion." Miroku complained. "Not my fault she blushed and got all red and said yes. I just I'm just to good looking."

"More like to dumb and think you are good looking." Sango retorted.

"Please can we get going?" Inuyasha said. "I want to find this demon Totosai said about."

"Inuyasha is right." Miroku said standing up. " We should get going. We need to find this black winged demon as so as possible." Slipping on a heavy mountain coat he climbed onto Kirara's back. Sango jumped on right in front of him.

Tanuki landed a leaf on his head transforming. "Ready to go" he said

Kagome, Shippo, and Inuyasha jump on.

"Ok Shikon blade here we come!" Shippo yelled as the all took off.



Between the lands of demons (Inuyasha's world) and the land of Ninja (Naruto's world) is the every frightful Black Mountains. (Know as Hell's peaks on Naruto's side.) In these mountains lie the most frightful of all creatures.

Soul sucker demons

Soul sucker demons do just as their name described. For food them suck the souls of living creatures. Fortunately Soul sucker demons never came out of the mountains and they are mentally dumb. So the villages on either side of the mountains are safe.

But when inside the mountains it was a different matter. Inuyasha and the gang flying over the mountains instead of through them were going to be fine. But Shena didn't have two transforming, flying demons with her.



"Damn it!" Sheana cursed shooting her last sacred arrow at the force. Pink light rippling the sky. "Just my luck."

For two whole days Shena had been traveling through the mountains with nothing but a mountain cloak, bag supplies, and her usual weapons and clothes. And already she was at her wits end, all her arrows gone, and she had to empty her bag to make it lighter so she could move faster. Much luck she had had with that.

When first came into the mountains there hadn't been a problem at all. It had sunny, the winds were down, and the warm spring air on her back made her feel like a million bucks. A beautiful day. But at night all hell broke lose.

Shena had stop under a cliff to gain a nights sleep and cook some meat over a open fire. Then her she went to sleep leaving her fire to burn out.

At first it had been a peaceful sleep. Then she heard a rustle in the bushes. Opening one eye she noticed her fire had finally burnt out. So she got up to raise it up again with the help of a dried log.

Then out of thin black air three of those damned things floated out of the darkness and attacked her. Soon she put two and two together when they open their mouths and suck away some of her life force that they were after her soul. She was food!

The had no human like bodies but instead had a long curling tail\snake like body. Their faces were white with red eyes in their eye sockets and huge pearly white fangs hanging out of either side of their mouths.

"Damn it." Shena cursed again. At first it had been just three easily dealt with a couple of well-aimed slashes of her bow. But then when the sun rose and was camp put up, she was attacked by 6 more. She killed them with ease. This proved to her there were more of these things then she thought and she was on the menu.

Then that afternoon when she stopped to take a drink of water and rest she got attacked by 10. This time they bit her before she killed them. And that had hurt.

By nighttime she was so tired she could have slept standing. But she didn't make camp and kept on moving. She had been lucky that only fie attacked her that night. For if had been more she didn't think she could have made it.

But now…

Shena had already killed at 30 of the force that loomed over her head. She look up again and could count at least 50 more.

She guessed she was almost out of the mountains and that these demons didn't want her to leave with out inviting her to dinner.

_More like being dinner…_

To top all that she hadn't slept for over 24 hours and has was now all out of arrows.

Pulling a small dagger like sword form her belt Shena took down 3 more of the disembodied demons.

Her breathing was heavy and she was bleeding from her right arm. Two more demons flew down form the sky. One she stabbed clean through the face the other she cut in half with her bow.

_If I don't come up with something soon I'm as good as dead. _ Shena thought. _Think! THINK!_

Then Shena had a brain blast. _That's it! _

"All right you little pest." Shena muttered. "Come on. Shena has a little present for you."

Two more demons flew down from the main force that was circling over her head. One she killed in an heartbeat. The other though…

Building up her energy and pushing it into her bow Shena brought her bow down till the tip touched the ground. Then with all her force and energy behind it she brought the bow back up with lightning strength knocking the second demon under the chin. With so much force the demon was thrown back straight into the main force.

The main force was just 50 or so demons flying around and around in no pattern at all. They didn't even see one of their own be fling back at them.

The demon Shena had thrown back flew straight into another tangling up in a knotted mess.

The other demon thinking it was under attack turned and bit deep into the other one neck.

Dazed by Shena's blow the other demon screamed in pain and began attacking the other with its fangs.

The force turned their attention of Shena to see what the noise was about and saw two of their own fight and biting each. Just as Shena wanted them to do.

Seeing her chance Shena flew down the path under the flying force of demons.

One demon seeing it's prey getting away let out a scream and shot after her. Hearing the scream the other demons turned from the fight. Seeing Shena's hurried exit they added their cries to the air and shot after her at top speed.

Shena ran as fast as her boot covered legs could carry her, flying over rocks and fallen logs. But not sleeping, fighting, and lacking diet was taking its toll on her body. If she could just deep running till she exited he mountains she would be fine. The demons were to dumb to follow her out of their know territory.

_There up ahead… _Shena thought she could see an opening in the rock of the wall that rose up around the pass.

Shena stop dead fling her arms into circles to keep her balance and stop her from falling.

The rock of the mountains broke away falling into a deep canyon. Shena stood on the very edge of a cliff. One hundred feet down as white water river roared by turning and twisting, whirlpools everywhere. There was no way out.

Shena turned ready to fight the on slot of demons rushing down the pass. But she was to late, she turned a signal second to late.

One of the demons had raced in front of the pack. When Shena turned around it buried its teeth right into her right shoulder warping its long tail body around her.

Pushed back by the attack Shena's foot lingered on the edge of the cliff. For a split second the world ran before her eyes.

The with a scream Shena fell over the edge of the cliff. Falling One hundred down to the water of the rivers below.



The world was burning. Fire everywhere. People's screams filled the air.

"Murderer!" They screamed. "Murdered!"



Shena's eyes flew open. She gasped for breath.

_Oh my god! _Shena thought _I have died and gone to hell._ Then she became aware of her surroundings.

Shena was in a bed in a room. White sheets pulled up to her chin. Where she was she didn't know.

Shena sat up rubbing her head. Her whole body hurt, especially her shoulder. Shena blinked and looked around the room she had been sleeping in.

The walls were stone painted white. The only furniture was the bed she was sitting in and a wooden chair pushed against the wall. There were no windows just a door in the middle of the wall opposite the bed.

"Ok. I'm not dead, but where in the hell am I?" Shena muttered. Pushing the covers back Shena flopped her legs over he side of the bed. Slowly Shena got up only to curse and fall back down on the bed.

"Damn it!" Shena cursed. Leaning over Shena gentle rubbed her right ankle. With a quick wince of pain she drew back.

Her ankle wasn't broken, but it was defiantly sprained. She wouldn't be able to walk on it for a few days.

_More like a few hours_. Shena thought smiling. Reaching down her shirt she went to retrieve her shards. Then thinking better not to when see didn't know where she was and who might be watching she laid back into the bed.

Wincing Shena put a hand on her shoulders. It had been bandaged up pretty good and she could smell herbs from some sort of ointment all over it.

_Damn that soul sucker demon_. Shena thought, _if it hadn't been for that damn thing she wouldn't be somewhere were she didn't know where she was and cut in one hundred places._

Either the demon had flown away or it had fell in to the river with her and drowned to a watery grave. Shena hopefully wished for the second

_At least I still have my clothes. _ Shena thought. _Though I wonder were in the world are my other things. _Shena looked around and saw her boots, belt, knives, bow, arrows, coat, pack, and quiver were all gone.

The doorknob turned. Shena sat straight up eyes turn straight on the door, as it swung inward on its hinges.

A man walked in.

He was funny looking. No funny wasn't the right word. Different, he looked different he was different looking.

He was dressed in black pants and a black shirt with a vest over it. Is hair was long and black pulled back in a small ponytail.

"Oh you're awake. Good. How are you feeling?"

Shena just stared.

"Oh where are my manners. Hello my name is Kane, and welcome to Tiesee village." The man said with a graceful bow.

After a while Shena regained her senses.

Of all the ways to be greeted, peacefully, wasn't one she expected. Hostile, meanly, full of questions about who she was maybe, but _peacefully?_ It didn't quite make senses. And to top that, Kanes sly smile unnerved her.

But on second thought when was the last time she had been greeted like she was a real human?

"My name is Shena. Where am I?"

"You're in the villages medical ward. You had a nasty fall." Kane pulled up the chair and sat down. "I mean you were found in the river by a villager. You were pretty beaten up. A lot of people think you fell off the waterfall. What were you doing up there any way?"

_How stupid of him. _Shena thought. _He just set me up a prefect alibi. I'll just play along like I fell of the waterfall and he won't ask to many questions. Prefect, things are going my way. Now what to tell him? It has to sound good…_

"I don't remember." Shena finally said. It was a good answer. Any way she had been rushed.

"What is the last thing you remember?" Kane asked.

The last thing she remembered was falling off the side of a cliff with a demon trying to suck her soul out. Again Shena cursed secretly wishing that demon sweet dreams on the bottom of the river.

"Some thing to do with herbs" Shena said at last.

Kane raised on eyebrow.

"Sorry but its all a bit fuzzy." Shena said. _Fuzzy my ass. _ Her mind muttered.

"Don't ferret about it. You probably still in shock form your fall. Here would you like something to drink? Tea? Water?"

_Perfect he played right into it. Here this idiot is thinking I fell of their waterfall. No questions asked. Just how I like it. Better be careful though. If he guessed I didn't fall off the waterfall of his he'll know I'm lying. _Shena thought.

"Tea please."She said.

Kane got up and walked to the door. Opening it he slipped his head out and whispered something to someone she couldn't see. A moment later he slipped back in carrying a tray with a steaming pot and cup on it and a mini coffee table.

Pulling the table up to the bed Kane poured her a cup of steaming green tea.

"Thank you" Shena said taking the warm cup. Blowing over it with one breath she sipped a small bit.

_Mmmmm, good._ Shena thought as she gulped down the rest of the tea. Kane happily refilled her cup.

"You must be thirsty." Kane said. "I mean after sleeping three days."

Shena choked on her tea.

"Three days! I have been asleep three days!" Shena yelled. Oh god that black winged demon could be any where by now. _Three days! _Again Shena cursed that soul sucker demon to the bottom of the river.

"Easy! Easy!" Kane said. "You had a pretty bad fall. You barely survived. I mean when we found you you were half dead. And now look at you. You're almost all better in just three days."

Shena took a big breath. _Ok three days wasn't so bad. I'll just have to get moving as soon as I can. _Shena thought.

"Were are my things?" Shena asked.

"What things?"

"My bow, arrows, quiver, belt, knives, coat, and boot." Shena Said.

"Oh, those. They're in the other room over the hallway. Why do you ask? Your not gong anywhere soon."

For some reason that last part unnerved her.

"What do you mean I'm not going anywhere soon?"

"Three reasons. First your ankle is badly sprained. You won't be able to walk on it for days. Second, we need to check our databases for a girl name Shena. Third…" At this Kane stood up and walked over to the door. Opening it he turn and look straight at Shena. "Third, we don't have a waterfall in Tiesee village. Good day." And with that he walked out the door shutting the door behind him.

Shena just stared. That whole talk had been one big fat trap.

One big fat trap she had just walk right into.

_So much for my alibi. _Shena thought.


	3. To run or die

Ok a friend told me I should do this so I'm going to lay down a few facts

1) Shena **IS NOT A MARY SUE**.

2) Shena knows Inuyasha and the gang (will explain how later)

3) Dream scenes will be form now on in_ Italic_

And…

4) If you have any questions just email me or leave me a review. Oh and this is my first fanfic.

THANKS FOR READING!!!

_About a week before Naruto's fight with Neji in the chuunin exams._

Naruto was staring at the sky. He had been doing that a lot lately. Ever since he saw that black bird what ever it was, he had been nervous. Especially outside. He felt like something bad was going to happen like something was lying in the shadows.

It had bugged Naruto for weeks.

"Well are you just going to stand there and stare at the sky like a idiot or are you going to try to do that summoning jutsus again? Come on I'm getting bored. Oh why did the ladies leave?" Jiraiya complained.

"Can you not focus for just a moment!" Naruto yelled. "And I'm trying to concentrate here so shut up!"

"Concentrate! All you've been able to concentrate up is a tadpole!"

"Will see about that. Summoning Jutus!" Naruto yelled slamming his palm down on the stone. Again the smoke cleared. And again a tadpole sat squirming on the ground.

"Damn it!" Naruto hissed under his breath

"Keep it down! The ladies are back!" Jiraiya hissed his head hidden in a bush. Drool slipping off his lips.

"You pervert! All you think about is the ladies!"

"I told you to stop calling me that!' Jiraiya turned and yelled right in Naruto's face.

Naruto yelled right back.

"Pervert! Pervert! Pervert! Pervert! Pervert! Pervert! Pervert! Pervert! Pervert! Pervert!"



Shena stared at the door, as it slammed shut.

One big fat trap and she just had to walk right into it. Huh didn't she feel smart.

Oh she was so stupid. She should have never opened her big mouth in the first place. Now look at her she was a prisoner. And to top it all she didn't have any weapons, she didn't know where she was, how big the building she was in was, and she didn't know to whom she had become a prisoner too.

For what seemed like the 1,000 time Shena cursed that soul sucker demon to the bottom of the river. And all its family to boot

_I'm really being to hate this new world. _ Shena thought with miserably.

Shena let her head fall into her hands. She felt like crying.

_Sometimes there are times when you just need to cry. And sometimes there are times you must put aside your tears and act. _Kikyo's words lingered in her mind

Shena blinked. Of all the time to think of Kikyo's teachings…oh well. The words spoke truth. And this wasn't a time to cry at all.

This was a time to act.

Shena pushed off all of the cover. pulling her legs over the side. Gently she let her feet touch the floor.

Pain shoot through her ankle.

_You won't be able to walk on it for days…_

"We'll just see about that." Shena muttered under breath.

Slipping her hand down her shirt and under her dragon scale armor (thank god they hadn't stole that off of her) Shena pulled up a single sliver chain necklace. Hanging there fastened to chain hung three Shikon jewel shards. The last thing she had, other then the silk bow tied around her waist, that connect her to her home and past.

Clutching the shards in her hand Shena let the world slip away. Down she went into a half-conscious state.

She was standing in mind air, detached for her body. Looking down she could she herself slumped down on the bed, eyes blank and half open. She could see her hand closed around the shard in her left hand.

Shena gripped her shards harder. Her vision blurred. Black rimmed the edges of her eyesight. Her head began to hurt. She could feel a cooled dark grip on her heart pulling her down.

Shena grabbed her head.

_Come on Shena. You can't go under now. Come girl hold on. Damn my head hurts. No don't think of the pain. Come on gain control, gain control!_

Slowly the pain ebbed.

Shena sighed as her body slumped even more. _Damn! I need to be more careful. I can't lose control like that_. Shena scold herself on the inside.

Slowly Shena slipped through the wall.

One guard stood at the door. Even as Shena watched his head nodded up and down only to give it a good shake and look bored at the wall.

Drifting over into the room opposite her own Shena looked in. All her stuff, her boots, arrow, bow, quiver, etc. lay on a wooden table against the wall abandoned.

Slowly she floated back to her body. Slipping down back into her body Shena slowly opened her eyes. All the pain from her ankle and shoulder had vanished.

Standing straight up Shena gave her healed ankle an experimental jump or two. This time she didn't wince in pain. It had been perfectly healed

Unwrapping her shoulder she looked it over. All signs of her injury were gone. Not even the faintest scratch was left on her pale skin.

Shena turned to the door and smiled, with mischief in her eyes.

"Only one guard?" Shena muttered cracking her knuckles her smile widening. "This is to easy."

Walking over to the door Shena grabbed the doorknob and gave it a twist. Nothing happened

_Locked! _Shena thought. _Damn it! Now I'm going have use magic. Just hope I don't pass out._

Sighing Shena put her hand into a pray position and close her eyes and began to mumble under breath in weird curling word that to any one listening would sound like a bunch of gibberish that a crazy woman would say.

Eyes still closed Shena reached out and grabbed the doorknob. Gripping it in her hands Shena hand tightened till her knuckles went white. Now her mumblings got faster and more complicated. The doorknob got hot under Shena hand and then steam began to roll off the doorknob. A foul smell filled the air. It smelled of melting metal.

Pulling her hand away and Shena's opened her eyes. The doorknob turned into mentally steaming mess and spilled to the floor.

Now for the guard.

Placing her palms together like she going to pray Shena began to mumble gibberish under her breath.



The guard stared at the wall.

''Man this is boring" He exclaimed. "Of all the missions I had to get stuck with why did it have to be this one? Right now I could be somewhere else doing something interesting."

The girl wasn't going any where with the messed up ankle of hers. So why did he have to watch her.

"Because that is the mission the Hokage gave you." A voice in his head snapped.

He sighed again. The girl, who ever, she was, had been found floating in the river by a few villagers and was rushed to the medical ward. When she was found she was half dead, bleeding badly, and when she was check chakra she was found she had barely any at all.

But the Hokage didn't want to take any chance. He ordered the girl to the treated and when she woke up she was to be interrogated. The village's best interrogator, Kane, was put on the job.

Kane knew that if the went straightforward and ask her name and what she was doing floating down a river he knew she would lie. But Kane knew he had to catch her lying so he could try more hurtful ways of interrogation, he didn't want to hurt a poor young girl who had just slipped and fell in the river. So he came up with a plan. Since the girl had no signs of identity, not even a village ninja headband, he hoped she didn't know the way of the land. He hoped she didn't know that there was no waterfall in the village. Then he would lead her in a trap be making her think that they think that she had felled off a waterfall and meant her no harm and lure her into putting her guard down.

The guard smiled.

Who ever the girl was she fell right into the trap. She got caught in her own lie. Though Kane's plan made his head hurt thinking about it he had to admit it had work. Know they knew she wasn't for around here and she was lying about how she got here. With this the Hokage would agree to use more forceful methods to find out if she was a lone ninja or a spy from a different village.

But still even with the knowledge that she was lying she didn't' seem like she was a problem. She was small and from the look of her under fed. She was a skinny as a twinge with no fat on her. It looked like she hadn't had a good meal in a while.

Right then the guard smelled something. It smelled like melting metal. Looking down the guard saw the doorknob metal suddenly into a puddle of melted metal

"What the hell." The guard yelled. The guard turned pulling a kunai out of his belt ready to push the door down.

But he stopped.

His arm and feet felt like lead. His eyes drooped down and his shoulders slumped. Weird suddenly he felt so tired.

_What was I suppose to be doing?_ The guard thought.

_Sleep. _Whispered a voice in his. _Sleep. You need a nap, you're so tired. You can sleep you're prisoner is not going anywhere. She is weak and has a sprained ankle._

"Yes that's right. Sprained ankle. I'll just let my eyes rest for a minute." And with that the guard hit the floor like a pound of bricks.



Shena turned her quiver upside down giving it a good shake. A few pieces of dirt fell out and landed on the stone floor.

"Damn it all." Shena muttered as she looked into her quiver to find it to her dismay empty of any thing useful at all. "Where in the hell an I going to find more arrows in a damn place like this. One I don't know where I am. Two even if I did know I wouldn't even be able to buy any. I got not money. And third I think it wouldn't be best to linger here. Don't want that damn Kane guy to find out just how healed I really am."

&A chill ran up her spine. That Kane guy had really scared her. He had come up with a plan to make herself lie into a trap. What kind of people was she dealing with?

Shena sighed and swung her quiver over her quiver over her shoulder. _Now is not the time for idol thinking Shena._ Shena told herself. _Maybe Kane was just one of those really smart people you just run across. Heck he might be the only smart person in this whole village. Man I'm tired._

Shena grabbed hold of the edge of the table as her knees gave way. _Now this is just perfect Shena. You used up all your energy on that stupid spell and now you're about to pass out. That's what you get I guess dear girl. Kikyo had always told you not to use the shards too much. Had always told you would push your self to far or go under or…_

Shena slapped herself in the face. _Get a grip Shena. You haven't gone under in years and you can't pass out when you're in enemy territory. Come on Shena up we go. _With that Shena pushed herself up and stumbled to the door. She needed to get out of here. She had pushed herself to far using the shards to heal and doing two B scale spells. If she didn't get out of her soon she pass out.

Slowly Shena walked into the hallway not caring to be quite. The guard lay slumped on the ground his fat but sticking straight up into the air. A small puddle of droll had formed around his mouth and his snores (that could wake the dead) covered any noises she made.

She no longer had her cloak, (which she found ruined, torn, and ripped in at least 1,000 places piled up on the table) but at least her pack was still intact with the leather having braved the waters of the river. The only problem was it was empty since she had dumped all here supplies on the trail to gain more speed

As for her other stuff. She found her bow and knee high boots so she wasn't completely weaponless and she didn't have to walk on the cold hard floor with bare feet any more (though her boots smelled like nasty river water). But as for her knives they were nowhere in sight. She was a little down hearted at this. The knives had been a gift from Totosai after Shena had gotten him out of a fix. He had made to blades out of purified demon bones (or at least that what he told her when she asked what they were made of. She remembered him telling her he never dealt with dangerous cursed demon bones like most people, he was careful. Most of the time). The handles had been made out of solid sliver and gold and curved into the shape of dragon with his mouth open wide to show rows of fangs and it had rubies as eyes on both side. He had made her 5 knives in all. He made sure he had told her that they cost a small fortune.

_Great. _Shena thought. _I have no food, coat, or any weapon that could cause significant damage. _

Looking left then right Shena turned and sipped down a hallway to her left. Looking around a corner she saw now one and slipped into another hallway when she came to another corner she looked saw no one a spilled right around. Then she slipped around another corner, and another. She took a right, then a left, and then another right, then went straight, and took another left. She was now quite sure she was lost.

_Damn it! _Shena thought turning yet another corner. _Where in the hell is the exit!_

"Have you heard? The chunnin exams are coming up in Kohona. I wish I could go…" A males voice floated down the hallway.

"Yah me too. But Kohona is hours away and the exams are all the way there. It takes about three days to just walk all the way there."

_Oh Hell! _Shena thought. _I have company and their coming this way. I don't have enough energy to fight them off. Got to hide!_

Shena head searched around for some exit or place to hide. She might have been able to knock out a guard and melt a doorknob, but that was about it. Already she had used over half of her energy powers, healing herself and escaping. Plus the use of her shards still weighed heavily on her.

Shena turned and tried the nearest door.

It was locked

She turned and tried the door opposite that one.

It was locked too.

She tired three more doors. They were all locked.

"Did you hear about that girl that the just found floating in the river…"

Now Shena panicked. The voices had gotten a lot closer.

Shena turned and tried the last door at the end of the hall. To her joy it opened with a soft click. Slipping inside Shena slammed the door shut as quite as she could in her hast. Slapping her back against the wood of the door Shena bit her tongue to make herself quite. She could hear her heart beating as she listened as the two men walk past the door talking away.

Shena sighed as deep as her lungs would let her. Turning she looked at the room that had hid her so well.

_Oh dear Lord…_

Piles and piles of kunai were scattered all over the room. Some sat on tables, some hung from the wall, and some lay in neat piles on the floor.

Walking over to one of the clusters of kunai Shena picked one of them up and looked it over with wondering eyes.

Of course she didn't know the knife like weapon was called since she had grown up in a different world. She had never seen one in her life. To her it looked like a fat black metal knife that was well crafted. But to Shena it didn't matter what it was called, it was weapon and was all that it mattered.

With one quick motion Shena stuffed as many kunai into her pack as she could.

Shena looked up and around the small room, hoping to find more treasure in the room that she know believed to be a small armory.

On the wall, hanging from pegs was a dozen or so brown cloaks. Shena quickly pulled down the shortest one she could find and slipped it on.

It was made out of light drown cloth. It had a hood and an eye and hook at the top to close the cloak over her body. Slipping the cloak on Shena found it the prefect size, coming down right to her ankles.

Shena turned to look more around the treasure room when some thing caught her eye. Turning Shena walked over to the far left corner of the room. There lying against the wall was a small self filled with wooden steel tip arrows. From the look of them they hadn't been used in years. But again she didn't care and jammed as many arrows into her quiver as she could.

"Now what other treasure is in here?" Shena mumbled rising to her feet. On the far right wall pinned up with four pushpins was a map. It was medium size showing road, river, villages, and boarder lines. With one quick motion Shena ripped the map down, folded it up, and slipped it down the front of her dress.

Shena hand leaned against the wall holding her up. Her breath had gotten weaker and she was breathing hard. She had worn herself out. She needed to get out of here before she passed out.

Looking around Shena saw her prefect escape. On the far wall facing the door a little window sat high up at the ceiling give the impression that half the room was under ground. Pulling a table up the wall Shena climbed up and with a moment of fiddling with the latch pushed the window open.

First shoving her pack and quiver through Shena pulled herself up half way through the window, but then she stopped.

Her but wouldn't go through the window. For once in her life she was too big.

Placing both hands on the outside stonewall Shena tired to push herself out. She didn't move. Looking up Shena could see wood no more then a few meters away.

_So close to freedom. _Shena thought. _I could just reach it if my fat ass wasn't stuck in a window._

With a hmph of displeasure Shena slapped her hands on the wall. Shena sucked in her breath and pushed with all her might. Slowly and painful Shena slipped forward. And then with a pop went flying free of the window.

Jumping up and dusting herself off Shena grabbed her things and ran like crazy to the freedom of the woods.

_Ten minutes later…_

Shena slumped against the trunk of a big tree. Breathing hard Shena sunk to the ground exhausted. She felt like she could sleep a hundred years.

Slowly and painfully Shena climbed up into the limbs of the tree. She had always found sleeping in the tree the safer way to avoid predators out for a snack then sleeping on the ground.

She needed to sleep. She had used up too much energy escaping. Slowly her head slumped forward and her eyes closed.

The last thing Shena remember thinking before she fell asleep was the look on Kane's face when he found the girl that couldn't go any where with that sprained ankle of hers gone and disappeared into thin air.



_Shena could smell smoke. It was thick and made her cough causing her to wake up from her slumber. Had one of the servants left the wood stove running? Was that why her room smelled of smoke?_

_Wearily little eyes opened and little hands pulled away the covers that was pilled on top of her. Pulling herself from her bed Shena rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She looked out the window to see what time it was. _

_Outside the stars shone brightly in the night sky._

_Standing up Shena head came above the layer of smoke that had somehow filled her room. Coughing and covering her mouth Shena fell to the ground with the taste of ash in her throat. _

_What was going on?_

_Shena's senses kicked in. Slowly she realized the smoke was spilling throw the crack under her door and filling her room. It was hot in the room like a summer night, but it was the middle of spring and the air was cutting of all the fresh air._

_It was beginning to get hard to breath._

_Shena covered her mouth with her hands. Standing she made her way to the door. She hadn't made it half way when the door slid open and her mother, Lady Lonea, rushed into the room. She, like Shena, was dressed all in her nightclothes. A linen cloth was rapped around her face covering hr mouth and nose._

"_Mother what is-" _

"_No Shena. Don't talk" Shena mother drooped to he knees and pulled her daughter close. Whipping out another linen cloth Shena's mother rapped it around Shena's face. "Follow me Shena. Try not to breath in the smoke." Shena's mother's voice came out muffled behind her own cloth. Standing Lady Lonea grabbed her daughter hand and pulled out into the burning hallway._

_Shena had never liked fire and gasp at the sight of the flames engulfing walls, ripping through doorways, curling around the rafters. Shena moved closer to her mother clutching her hand for dear life._

_Quickly Shena's mother turned and fled down the hallway away from the flames. Shena had to run twice as fast as her legs could carry her to keep up. Quickly Shena's mother turned and corner and fled down another hallway pulling Shena along and trying to keep out of the reach of the flames that leapt up hungrily at the two's feet._

_Suddenly there was a loud crack and Shena's eye flew upward and screamed as a roof beam that had caught fire snapped and came crashing down to the floor spraying the two fleeing woman thing red hot sparks._

_Immediately Lady Lonena turned and shielded her daughter from the sparks in the fold on her nightdress. Wrapping her arms around Shena She picked her up and fled down the hallway away from the burning beam._

_Both mother and daughter screamed as an explosion somewhere set hot air and cinders into their faces. _

_Finally Shena and her mother came to the front door, which hung on its hinges. Running a top speed Lady Lonea raced out of the house and into the smoke filled air._

_After her mother put her down Shena stared wide-eyed at her burning house. _

_Window exploded as flames leapt high up into the air. Shena ripped the cloth from her face and stare helplessly as her home burned to the ground._

_:"Mother what-" Shena felt hot air o the back of her neck. Then she heard the screams of terror that was filling the air. Slowly Shena turn horror gripping to her soul. Dropping her mothers hand Shena run to the top of the stairs that lead from the village to her now ruined house._

_Shena stared wide-eyed with horror at the burning village below._

_Her eyes darted here to there watching the flames gulp house. Everything was on fire. Shena watched as a pottery shop came crashing down to the ground in a pile of flames. People, all the people of the village, ran in every direction, screaming at the top of their lungs in fear. _

"_Demons! Run for you lives!"_

"_Help! Oh god some one help us!"_

"_There are thousands of them!"_

"_Run for the woods! Run for your lives!"_

_Shena could see them now. Thousand of demons fill the night sky. They all had long scaly bodies and flew through the air. Some had wings and some had only one eye. Some opened their fang-lined mouths and spewed fire onto the wooden house. While others dived down form the sky and buried their teeth deep into fleeing human flesh._

_As Shena watched a demon came flying down form the sky burring it's teeth into a fleeing man's flesh. His screams of terror turned to screams of pain as the demon reed his head up ripping off the man's arm. The innocent man fell. Dead before he hint the ground._

_The scene disappeared as Shena's mother hind her trembling daughter in the folds of her nightdress trying desperately to hide the blood filled scene. Slowly Shena knee gave way and she slipped to the ground. Her mother on her knees pulled her closer trying to push out the screams of dieing people form Shena's ears._

"_Lonea!" That was her father's voice. "Shena!"_

"_Father!" Shena yelled pulling away from her mother. Father was here. He would make the demons go away. He will make everything all better. He'll-_

_Shena father, Lord Heita, came into view. He wore his armor and carried his sword. His face and armor and sword was stained with blood. And not all the blood was demons. Lord Heita's arm was cut deeply open at the shoulder. His red blood ran out of his wound like a river of blood. _

"_Darling! You're hurt!" Shena's mother ran to father to her husbands side. Pulling out a cloth form her dress Lady Lonea tried desperately to stop the blood from coming out of the wound tears rolling down her checks. _

"_There's no time for that." Lord Heita said calmly pulling his wife's hand from his wound. "You need to get to safety-"_

"_No! You're hurt! I need to stay with you!" Lady Lonea cried._

"_Lonea, please, listen to me. You need to get to safety. The demons have taken the front gate. They will find the shrine any minute now. They are coming this way. You need to take our daughter and get to safety." Lord Heita stared into his wife's eyes as he spoke. Moments of silence passed and finale Lady Lonea nod her head slowly and painfully as tears and sobs shocked her body._

"_Father!" Shena ran and latched on to her father leg (for she only came up to his hip. "Please don't leave me. You will die. Father please I love you." Shena's words fell into sobs. She buried her face into her father's armor, holding on as though she never let go._

"_Shena hush, there, there. You are okay." Lord Heita said gently pulling Shena free of his leg. Slowly he got to his knees and so her could look Shena in the eye. "I love you to, my little angel of the heavens, but you need to go with your mother now. You need to get to safety. Don't worry I will see you again." Lord Heita leaned forward and kissed his daughter on the forehead. Slowly he rose and embraced his wife. Leaning over he whispered something in her ear. Slowly she nodded and hugged him tighter tears running down her face. After a while they pulled away._

_Lady Lonea reach down and took her daughters hand and turned and fled to the woods. Shena raced with her looking over her shoulder at her father. For a while he stood there and watched them go then he turned and raced down the stairs to the burning village, sword raised, and out of sight._

_That was the last time Shena saw her father alive._

_Soon Shena and her mother came to the stair that lead up to the shrine in which the shards were being kept. The shire was said to have a powerful priestess buried under it and that is why it had a barrier in its door that let no demons pass. _

_Quickly them climbed the stairs._

_They ran for what seemed years when it was really only a minute. Finally the shrine cane into view and Shena heart leaped for joy._

_They were going to make it._

_When they came to the shrine Lady Lonea slid open the door and pushed Shena inside. Slowly she Lady Lonea began to pull herself into the shrine. Into safety._

_Then Shena's mother scream. Lady Lonea's hands gripped the doorframe as she was violently pulled back. But didn't let go. Shena froze unable not move. Then her mother was jerk again. Screaming Lady Lonea's hands were pulled free. Shena lunged and grasped one of her mother's hands. Holding on to it for dear life._

_One demon had followed them up to the shrine and had Shena's mother's foot in its mouth pulling violently to brake Shena's hold. And ripe her mother from the safety of the shrine. _

_Slowly Shena and her mother was being drag away from the shrine. _

_Lady Lonea saw her daughter slide forward growing closer to the edge to the door. Shena wouldn't be able to hold onto her mother much longer before she to was pulled form the safety of the shrine._

"_Shena, I love you" Lady Lonea said. Then her mother swung and smashed Shena's wrist into the doorframe. Shena's gripped weakened and Lady Lonea pulled away from her daughter._

_Shena watched wide-eyed, as her mother was ripped backward. The demon lifted its ugly head and flung Shena's mother into the air. Shena screamed as her mother fell and the demon buried its fangs into her mother's flesh._

_For a moment she hung in the demons teeth then the demon opened its mouth and let Lady Lonea drop to the ground. She was dead before she hit._

_Now the demon turned to Shena, who lay frozen in the open door of the shrine watching wide-eyed and her mother's blood made a small pool under her. The demon roared up and flew straight at Shena._

_The demon was inches form her head._

_Inches form ripping off her head and killing her in a single blow._

_In a flash of blue sparks the demon cried out in pain and was repealed by the protection barrier that was in the door frame of the shrine_

_Shena pulled the door shut as fast as it would let her. Slowly she stood and stumbled backwards till her back hit the wooden wall of the shrine. Slowly she fell to the floor._

_Pulling her knees to her chest Shena curled up into a small ball and cried, and cried, and cried letting the sobs shake her body and fill the small wooden shrine._

"_Mommy…"_

_Shena was seven when her world fell apart in a pit of fire and demons._


	4. Crisscross and Memoriers

Hello again! It's me!

Ok I just like to say that this is an Inuyasha Naruto crossover but the Inuyasha part comes a little latter. Shena is my original character and she is not a Mary sue.

Oh and one last thing Shena KNOWS Inuyasha and the whole gang. (Again will explain how later.) And dream scenes/flashbacks/thoughts are all in _italic_ Oh and PLEASE REVIEW

THANKS FOR READING



Shena cringed in her sleep, head tossing one way only to be tossed in the opposite direction the next second. Sweat beaded her forehead and rolled down her face. Shena whimpered and cried out as her hand clenched and unclenched in her own nightmare.

For a moment she went limp. Then with a cry Shena tossed her body to the right as tears began to roll down her cheeks as she cried in her sleep.

Shena's eyes flew open as the limb of the tree she had been sleeping in gave way under her weight with a sickening snap. Shena lunged out trying to grab hold of another branch, but in vain she missed and went crashing down to the hard dirt ground.

With a loud hump Shena's backside connected with the hard dew-wet ground of the forest floor.

For a minute Shena looked around completely confused on where she was and how she had gotten there. Finally memory found her conscious mind and Shena relaxed letting her back fall to the forest floor and stared up at the sky.

After a minute Shena groaned and rolled over on her hands and knees and pushed herself up. Dusting herself off a very sore Shena glanced back up to the tree limb that had snapped under her weight. Eyes narrowing Shena watched the limb swing back and froth as though waving bye-bye to Shena and her very sore bottom.

"Stupid branch. Stupid tree." Shena muttered under her breath as she caught a lower limb and climbed up to regain her stuff.

Jumping down she looked around. Shena was in a small clearing with green-branched trees in ever direction. Scratching her head Shena turned left then right then left then right then left again.

_Damn it lost __**again**__! Which way is north? _Shena thought. The sun was too high in the sky to tell directions. And with out a heading Shena didn't know which way to go or where to go for that matter.

Snapping her fingers a light bulb turned on in her head. Stuffing her hand down her shirt Shena pulled out the map she had pinched back at the armory.

Unfolding it Shena gave it a good look over.

Ha! There was Tiesee village so Kane wasn't lying about that. Carefully she traced her fingers to the nearest wood out side of the village. So that was were she was

_Now where to go?_ Shena thought looking over all the roads and towns and cities.

Silently Shena's eyes traveled over the map looking from dash line to dash line and dot to another dot. Suddenly something caught Shena's eyes.

Right in the middle of the map was a big black dot inside the country called Land of fire. Next to the dot was the word Konoha in big black letters.

Shena remembered that word. Konoha? Ya the guys back in that place were talking about. Now she remembered it had do with something called the Chuunin exams. Sounded like a big place.

_Just big enough for a rumor at a giant black bird to slip in. _Shena thought.

Calmly Shena folded up the map and slipped it back down her dress. Slumping down Shena leaned up against the truck of the tree and stared at the sky.

_I'll wait till the sun sets and then head south till I meet a road._ Shena thought.

Sighing Shena relaxed and closed her eyes but didn't go asleep. Her nightmare still lingered in the air, as did the memories of her mother screams and the smell of fire.



_Running, fleeing, escaping, right now those things were the keys to living. And to live, though to most humans wished to live long meaningful live, meant nothing to Shena. But she wouldn't just sit in the dirt and die that would mean that her mother's death would have been for nothing and that was the only thing that kept her alive, along with fear and anger._

_So she ran for her life. Her meaningless torn life. And for her mother and the shards she held._

_Yes she had taken the shards from the shrine and slipped out through a secret back door. To her the shards were her last piece of her life, her father, her mother. And she be damned if some damn demons took them from her. She die first._

_Numb legs, stiff form being curled in a ball, and sore bleeding bare feet struggled and stumbled farther and farther in the dark forest to what she wished to be safety._

_Hot air from the burning village still warped around her neck and dieing scream still flooded her ears. Though Shena was quite sure she was imagining them by now, but they seemed no more real and no more heart piercing._

_Years later Shena asked herself why she left the shrine. She came to the conclusion that she could not be near her mother body, sitting in its pool of blood, anymore and just ran away taking the shards with her as she went._

_Running Shena stumbled through the forest with demons on her heels following the tracks of blood. Demons wiped in and out of view flying through the trees following her with their blood lust filled eyes._

_But yet even as they followed her they didn't attack. They didn't soar out of the trees and ripe her apart taking the shards which she knew they wanted. It was what they all wanted. The shards had brought the demons to her home. But even if they wanted them they didn't come take them they just followed her like they were waiting for something. Something Shena knew was bad._

_Suddenly a tree root tripped her foot and face first Shena fell out of the forest into the dirt of the edge of the forest onto a ledge with a single tree clinging to the side like a lone vessel of safety._

_Painfully Shena got up and ran to the limbs of the tree like they would protect her. Grabbing onto the trunk of the tree Shena leaned over and stared down._

_Down was a shear drop going down 50 feet ending in a silent black water river._

"_It's a long drop young one." A black sinister voice said behind her._

_Shena snapped around keeping hold on the tree trunk. Standing behind her was a man, or what she thought was man. She couldn't tell he was wrapped up in a white bamboo's skin with a blue face. She couldn't she a thing of him except his dark eyes staring out of the eyes slits._

"_Who…who are you? What do you want?' Shena voice was husky and dry form all her crying._

"_Naruko. You may call me Naruko"_

"_What do you want?"_

_At this he extended his hand and calmly said, "You know what I want. The shards give them to me they don't belong to you."_

_Shena drew back holding her shard and little harder to her chest. "No you can't have them. My village burned for these." Slowly she pieced two and two together. "Demons burned my village to get these. If you want them then that means your one of them. You're a demon. Get…get away form me you piece of trash. I won't let you have them. Their mine. And if you want them you'll have to tear them for my dead cold body."_

_He just laughed._

_Naruko laughed the most hideous laugh Shena had ever her heard. It burned her ears and flooded her mind._

_For a minute he was 5 feet away and then he was 5 inches from her face._

_Shena gasped and moved back almost falling over the side of the ledge._

"_My that was quite a speech. Your smart I will give you that. You know what? I'm going to let you live you little bitch just to see you live with the pain and weight of your family's death. I want to see you burn n your own hell. Now give the shards you filthy little human or I might have to kill you and ruin my fun." He reach our with unbelievable speed and gripped Shena around the neck strangling her._

"_No leave…LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!" The last word came out a shriek and Naruko drew back almost as if in pain._

_Fear and pain exploded, boiling over the top, filling Shena small body with pain then a powerful release. The world disappeared as she knew it. Her vision turned blood red and felt her body stomach turn violently. Visions of her mother broken body and destroyed village filled her mind and Shena let out the most ear piercing shriek. The pink light of the shards turned red then dead black. Words whispered into her mind and her nails became long black claws._

"_Kill" They demons of the shards whispered._

_Shena extended her had and screamed and the world exploded wiping out a good section of the ledge face. The lone tree caught fire and fell over the edge. Power flooded Shena's body and then explode and a pit of red light. _

_Shena didn't fell human any longer._

_She felt like a demon. A demon that wanted kill._

_Then as fast at it came it went away leaving Shena drained and empty._

_The world fell into darkness and Shena fell unconscious over the edge of the cliff while the fake Naruko burned to the ground and Kougera took to the skies flying form the destroyed cliff._

_That night the name Naruko came into Shena's language. That night something happened that turned Shena into something that was not human or demon. Her shards had turned black_

_But by the time Shena hit the water they had already turned back to their calm pink glow._



_God I'm hungry. _ Shena thought as her stomach gave more loud unwanted grumbles. _What I wouldn't do for some food, any food at that matter._

Shena clutch her stomach and trudged along Konoha's streets. The smell of food like ramen and barbecue stands and shops were driving her crazy. Shena whimpered as the smell of fresh brewed tea reached her nostrils. She was thirsty and starving all at the same time. But that's what she guessed you got went you hadn't eaten in two days. Except for some edible plants in the forest Shena hadn't even been three feet near real food.

_And now I'm starving._ Shena thought miserably.

It had been three months since Shena escaped for the crazy village that had locked her into a room. Since then Shena had been in and out of Konoha.

A first it had only taken two weeks to get all the way south to Konoha village. Shena had taken her time picking herbs in the near by forest and selling them in also nearby markets in villages she passed. Some times Shena even mixed them up into medicines Kikyo had taught her when she was younger. And to her joy they sold great. With the small, and it was small, money she got from the market Shena bought supplies and sometime some good food at nearby restaurants. But is didn't last long. Before long Shena's money had disappear, and without money Shena couldn't buy more supplies, and since her small business had goon down hill there wasn't more money to spend.

Also disappoint was Shena had not once heard of a beautiful woman riding on the back of a giant bird. Although Shena had asked about demons in the villages her question would just get blank stares and before long Shena gave up and went to eavesdropping on conversations.

Before long Shena noticed there was no tales of demons. None. It was like they didn't exist.

Shena thought this was beyond weird.

No demons. None. Before long Shena noticed there was no demons at all in this new land. How could that be?

Shena didn't come across brunt villages and bloody grounds of where a demon had been through. The thought of no demons shocked Shena. Demons had always been part of her life. She had lost her family and village to demons. And here demons were nowhere to be seen.

What kind of land was this? And better yet why was there no demons?

Every once and a while Shena would hear a weird group of five members. One was said to have dog's ears (which by most people was put of as one of those 'weird rumors') and another has giant boomerang and a small cat and another was a handsome monk. Also part of the group was a girl in a skimpy schoolgirl outfit, and finally a midget with a fluffy tail and pointed ears (at the last one Shena had to hold her breath to stop from laughing). At those times Shena would hide he smile in the shadow of her hood and think to herself, _my, my, Inuyasha and the gang are a here already. Wonder how there holding up in this new world?_

Since getting to Konoha Shena had been in and out of the village going form on point on the map to another with finding no word of the shard blade demon she was looking for. Every time she went somewhere she came to a dead end and turned around and stomp her way back to Konoha.

Once Shena tired going out and find Inuyasha and the rest of the gang but except for a few misplaced rumors the whole gang had just vanished and even when she tired to follow their trails she came to more dead ends. Shena expected that the villagers didn't take to kindly to Inuyasha and they had taken to keeping out of sight.

_Good. _She thought. _One look at Shippou and people would think demon and run for their lives knowing this bunch of humans._

But Shena had to admit she felt a little alone in this new world and wished for some company even if she had to deal with a perverted monk and a half demon with no fashion sense. A cave right outside the village where she was staying was a damped and getting to be a snore. She decided soon she would have to move out and go somewhere less before she lost her mind.

Turning a corner Shena was deep in thought and didn't see the kid running right to her till it was to late. With a smack Shena's backside hit the ground and her face was staring up at the stars. Sitting up Shena rubbed her head and looked up at the person how had knocked her down.

"Hey watch where you're going." Shena snapped.

"What are you talking about? You ran into me." Said the other person on the ground.

Shena glared at the kid, for he was a kid because he could only be a little older then she was. His hair was yellow and spiky and disordered sticking out in every direction while being pulled back by a headband with Konoha's symbol on it. His eye were blue, a really, really sharp blue. And his clothes was an…orange jumpsuit?

_Where did this kid learn to dress? _Shena thought. _Dork school for the color blind._

"Ok kid fine I ran into you." Shena said

"Kid! Who are you calling kid? My name is Uzimake Naruto and I'm going to be hokage. Believe it!"

_Okay weird guy. Very weird guy… and what in the hell is a hokage. _Shena thought.

"Fine, Naruto, could you get up and out of the way please, cause I do believe I have somewhere to be where I'm not on the ground."

With a humph Naruto got up and helped Shena up. She stood a whole head taller then the guy! Walking around Naruto Shena headed in the direction of the villages gate.

"See you later shrimp." Shena said giving Naruto a wave over her shoulder.

"Who are you calling shrimp?!!" Naruto yelled after her.

Shena decide to ignore him.

_Man. _Shena thought. _And I thought Inuyasha was a little weird. That kid puts him to shame._



_Shena crawled, griping rocks slick with river water, to the river shore. Dropping like a stone Shena gasped for air in the cold sands of he river shore. Staring up she looked at the night sky that was beginning to disappear away form the morning sun._

_Sobs shook her small cold wet body as tears of a destroyed girl ran down her cheeks._

_She was alive and that was it._

_Finally, after what seemed like years, the tears stopped either because they had dried up and she had no more to shed or her heart truly had cracked in two. Still bleeding and still destroyed Shena got to her feet and stumbled through hundreds of brunt chard remains of once flourishing rice fields that were now just black scars on the land. The gates of the once singing village hung destroyed and forgotten on their hinges or least one gate still stood the other gone, either brunt down or shattered by the demons. Shena notice all of this in the back of her mind._

_Shena walked past the chard empty houses, with most chard and brunt missing doors, windows, or they were just a pile of ash in a group._

_Bodies of the dead lay everywhere brunt and ripped with some missing limbs. The stench of blood and death and charred flesh mixed in the air making it all toxic to where Shena had to swallow hard to keep her from losing everything in her stomach. _

_Somewhere in the middle of the village Shena found her the chard lifeless body of her father, the great Lord Heita, lifeless as he laid face up staring at the sky with glazed over eyes and gaping hole through his chest. Yet there he lay sword still in had as though in death he would protect his family and home. His armor was charred and ruined beyond recognizable color by still intact as though he was ready to jump up and fight the demons back, something he would never do._

_Five feet away Shena did lose her stomach in pile on the ground and ran back to her father body flinging her small body over in hugging it and rubbing it's face as she cried more tears that had come from some place._

_Five hours later Shena found a brunt, but useable, shovel in one the remains of a once beautiful little house._

_Three hours later Shena retrieved her mother's body and dragged it down the hill with painful long steps. It took her two whole hours to get the body down the hill. Finally Shena buried her mother's body next to her father's under and brunt cherry tree that had be her favorite place in the village when she was younger._

_By late noon the next day Shena had buried very single body in the village. No one was missing no bodies were unaccounted for. That only meant she was the only survivor. The last of her small village. _

_In a dead blank state Shena dug a piece of broken glass out of the ashes and dropped to her knees before the tree were her parents were buried. After she was done Shena stood and read her own words._

_Here lies the bodies _

_of _

_Lord Heita and_

_Lady Lonea ._

_Together they walk in heaven hand in hand._

_Around them lies the bodies_

_of the fallen villagers of the great Monanoke village._

_All of them sing in heaven._

_Shena rose to her feet and stared at her family's grave._

"_On my word, on my honor as your daughter." Shena said in a small tone her voice feeling ruff. "I'm going to kill him. This Naruko who has destroyed my village I'm going to find him and kill him. I will not die till I see him dead. I promise you. I. Will. Not. Die. Till. He. Is. Dead. I will be strong"_

_Quietly Shena stared at the grave as she heard her words linger in the air. No she would not fail._

"_Hey! Hey Leader! Looky at what I found! Look it's a girl!" Someone's voice shocked Shena back into the world of the living Snapping around Shena came face to face with the dirtiest greasy man she had ever seen._

_He wore cheap cracked armor and a rusty sword at his side. He smelt of…something. He stared at Shena then threw his head back over his shoulder and hollered. "Leader! Over here looky what I found."_

_A minute later a very gruff looking man with an axe on his back cam around the corner. Frowning he gave Shena a long look. Shena shivered. He looked like he was trying to price a piece of meat that had fallen into his fat lap._

"_What the hell is this?" He said after a while. "A girl? Must be a survivor. Damn look at all those graves. Little girl did you did you dig all of those?"_

_Shena stood stark still and stared at the men with a wide eyes look._

"_Little bitch." The other man with the sword said. "Wake up. Leader asked you a question. Did you dig all those graves? What are you, dumb?" The man strolled over and hooked Shena under the collar and dragged her over to the other man he called "Leader"._

"_I ask you," Leader ruffed, "if you dug all those graves. Now answer me."_

_Shena nodded her head slowly._

"_My, my. Aren't you a hard worker." Leader said. Flipping his head over his shoulder he yelled at the other members of his company. "Hurry up you bitches and get that stuff on the cart, we don't have all day._

_Shena looked around the men's legs and got a look at the other men. She gasped as she saw the men kicking down brunt doors and ransacking the house of all their valuable goods and throwing them into a wooden cart pulled by two under feed looking horses._

"_What are you doing?" Shena gasped. "You cant' do that. Stop! You can't do that!"_

"_I'm sorry little lady but I'm quite sure I can. These people are long dead they don't need their stuff, so why not take it and stop it from collecting dust._

"_But…you can't." Shena stared at her hands eyes wide with shock. Then she remembered her words. I will be strong. Suddenly her lips became a thin line and her eye narrowed. Closing her small hands into fists Shena looked at her fists till her knuckles went white._

_Looking up Shena stared at Leader with eye filled with anger._

"_Get out you filthy pigs." She spat. "Get out of my village."_

_Leader's hand slapped Shena hard across her face causing her body to hit the ground hard. Spitting up blood the seven-year-old girl lay on the ground in shock that she had been hit. She had never been hit before._

"_Now you listen to me you little bitch." Leader voice reached her ears. "I'm going to be kind and forget that. Now since your such a hard little worker I'll bring you along with us. You can cook our meals and wash our dishes and laundry. And at night you can entertain us men with a little dance. And maybe, just maybe, we could find you a nice whore house to drop you off at once you repay us for saving you from this miserable thing called a village."_

_Shena starred at the brunt grass then turning she starred at her parent grave. Anger, red-hot anger, exploded inside her and she let it spread. She felt her shards grow hot then dim in light to where they were almost black but not quite. Shena's nails grow long and black. Her vision blurred red like the color of blood. Her small body began to fill with red-hot power._

_Slowly Shena got to her feet._

"_Get out." She snarled with her head down in a voice she knew wasn't hers. "GET OUT YOU BASTARD AND NEVER COME BACK!"_

_Shena lunged at Leader's throat and the whole world dropped into darkness._



_Slowly Shena opened her eyes._

_Her whole body hurt._

_The shards had grown cold and she lay on the ground in a pool of blood. Blood that was not hers._

_Gasping Shena flung herself up._

_She was covered in red cold blood._

_What had happened? One minute she was yelling at those robbers to get out of her village and the rest was a blanks as though it had been cleaned from her memory._

_Shena looked around then saw the men's cart still sitting where she had first saw it still filled with treasure but the men were gone._

_Slowly Shena got to the gate and climbed the still intact stairs of the look out. Looking out over the destroyed fields Shena saw no sign of the men._

"_His dead!!!" A yell reached Shena's ears and she looked down. To this day she wished she hadn't._

_Leader lay on the ground clutching the man with the sword's body. His body had been ripped open with a deep cut staring from the right of his neck down to the left of his hip._

"_My brother is dead!" Leader screamed. Looking up Leader saw Shena looking down at him and the other men clustered around the body. "You bitch" He yelled. "You killed him! You killed him!"_

_Getting to his feet Leader drew his ax and hurled it at Shena_

_Her heart missed a beat as the ax hit the barrier that now surrounded the entire village, inches from her face. A barrier that had not been there a day before_

_Twice barriers had saved her life. But where had it come from. _

_Leader roared and raises his fist at Shena._

"_I'm going to kill you, you little demon. You demon!!!"_

_Shena fell backwards and gasp for air._

_Digging out her shards. Shena stared at them as they glowed in the shadows of the dead village's lookout._

"_What…what's happening to me?" Shena whispered to herself. "Am I a demon?"_



Shena was more pissed off then anything else at the moment.

Knowing this it would be easier to explain why she was cursing while packing by punching everything into her pack. Rolling up her sleeping mat (which she had bought in the market with a little of the money she had had.) she tied each end with a rope while damning things she hated to hell (Naruko, Kikyo, people who stared, etc.). To bad this didn't improve her mood.

Why was she so anger you might ask?

Well there were many reasons why she was mad. One was she was hungry, two she was out of money, and third, and most important, her latest lead on her blade demon had came to a dead end. And for the third she was ready to kill something.

_I have been in this freaking world for god knows how long and still I have not seen a single sign of that damn demon. Or Inyuasha and the rest of the gang for that matter." _Shena thought bitterly as she tied her straw-sleeping mat to her pack.

Slipping the pack over her back Shena gave a deep sigh and walked out of the small cave that had served as her home for the past couple weeks. As she walked past her fire pit she gave a chard log a good kick to divert some of her anger. It didn't help.

Walking about half a mile east Shena hit the main road and turned north planning on heading for one of Kohona's out post towns. Maybe there she could sell some herbs in the market and buy some dinner. Even more important was that she heard all good rumors came to this town.

Still Shena wasn't happy.

_I was just beginning to like it here." _Shena thought. _I was settling into the cave and everything… Oh well. Guess you not the settling type Shena. But still I wish I could have-"_

Shena stopped dead, her heart missing a beat.

_What in the hell was that?_ Shena thought looking around. _Did I imagine it? Did- Son of a bitch there it is again!_

Diving for the protective trees of the side of the road Shena looker all around to see if anyone was near.

Seeing no one Shena dropped to the ground and pushed her ear to the dirt. Letting her mind go blank she opened her senses and felt the auras around her.

"There!" Shena hissed snapping up. It was faint but she still felt it. A demon's pulse. A demon's aura slipping in and out of the air like a snake in the grass.

But it was so faint. Like the aura Shippo sends of at a not so far range.

_What ever it is it's weak. _Shena thought. Getting up Shena dusted herself of and turn to go back to the road. The pulse was to weak to be the demon she was looking for. Plus she didn't sense any Shikon Jewel shards.

Shena got back to the road and stared walking only to stop when she felt another pulse.

Shena sighed deeply. _Damn it! Curiosity killed the cat._ She thought. Turning Shena dived into the trees and followed the aura.

_Something's wrong here. _Shena thought. _The aura is not just right. It's demon, but not demon. What's going on here?_

**BAM**

Shena stopped dead and got to the ground. She was on the out skirts of a small clearing. In the middle all hell was braking loose.

"You idiot get the kid." Three men in gray uniforms circled a boy with weapons in hand. Off to the side two more men lay on the ground bleeding. Als of them wore headbands with a music note on it.

But it was the kid that caught Shena's attention.

It was the kid from the village the one that had ran into her.

Uzumaki Naruto.

Still dressed in his orange he was beaten up pretty badly. His face was bleeding and so was his let arm. His breath was deep and hurt sounding like he had a broken rib.

As Shena watched all three men dived for Naruto. Shena only saw him make a hand sign before five Naruto shadow clones appeared out of nowhere.

To say the lest Shena was quite surprised. She wasn't used to people who could make clones out of thin air.

The five clones beat back the men knocking one out by banging his head against a tree.

What Naruto didn't see though was the ninja coming up behind him kunai in hand as Naruto was doing some complicated hand signs.

To this day Shena doesn't know why she did what she did she just did.

Pulling an arrow from her quiver Shena loaded her bow and dived into the clearing.

"Hey asshole!" The ninja looked up in surprise not expecting to see Shena standing there bow drawn and ready.

That was a mistake.

The next thing he knew Shena had shot a sacred arrow straight through his shoulder. He went down if a cry of pain.

Naruto just stared at her while another ninja took advantage of his diversion in attention.

"Look out kid!" Shena yelled

Naruto turned shocked to see the ninja behind him kunai raised to kill.

In a cry of pain the man went down as Shena shot a arrow over Naruto's head into the man's chest.

**BAM**

Shena was caught off ground as the final ninja hurled her into a tree. She gasped as she heard something crack and her shard began to grow hot on their necklace chain.

Diving for her throat the ninja tired to give her a killing blow.

Hissing Shena slapped the man hard across the cheek noticing her nails cutting deep into the man's flesh. Deep enough to draw blood.

Crying out in pain the man step back then turned into a poof of smoke and disappeared. Shocked Shena looked around for her opponent.

"Up here girly." Shena's head snapped up as the real ninja landed on top of her pinning her to the ground.

Picking her up with ease the man slammed her back into the tree holding a kunai to her throat.

"I don't know who the hell you are but you picked the wrong fight to jump into. Now you die." The man spat at her.

Shena fell the cold metal of the kunai against her throat. Ready for the kill.

Then the man's eye grew wide and with a groan dropped to the ground dropping the kunai to the ground.

Naruto stood still in the pose he was in while he had thrown the kunai into the man's back. Then he straightened smiled at Shena and collapsed and commenced to snore on the ground. Getting up, while still shaking. Shena walked over the sound ninja's body and flopped down next to Naruto sleeping from.

Breathing deep Shena brought her hand to her face so she could see it. Her nails had grow long and black like claws and the tips were red with blood. She watched, frowning deeply, as her nails turned back to normal.

Looking down at Naruto who lay snoring loudly in the clearing in the middle of the woods surround by sound ninja's bodies in a world that was not her own Shena gave her biggest sigh yet.

"Great." She mumbled. "What in the hell am I going to do with you?"


	5. Crossroads and Murder

Ok I have nothing to say but this

get on hands and knees and begs

please review I beg you

Chapter five

Crossroads and Murder



"Damn it! Just damn it all to hell!" Shena hissed violently as she glared at her ruined armor with a giant crack running down on one side. "Made of dragon scale my ass Totosai you over grown liar. Ohhh when I get my hands on you you're…Argh!" Flinging the ruined armor at the cave's stone walls Shena winced as it hit and clattered a little to loudly down to the cold stone floor. Flashing a look over her shoulder she sighed in relief as she noticed the body occupying her sleeping mat continued to snore in the same loud rhythm it had been set on for the past three days.

Letting out a gush of air Shena sat back against the cold stone wall and examined what felt like the thousandth time of the happenings of the last past three days.

After the little battle was over Shena had flung the Naruto kid over her shoulder (or more dragged him onto her shoulder, he was heavier then he looked) and half walked half dragged him back to the only place Shena knew she would be safe. The cave she had been staying in.

The cave itself was much larger then Shena had first thought. After she got back with Naruto Shena walk farther into the cave then she had dared when she had first came here with a torch only to find the cave twisted into the hills for miles. A good way in Shena stumbled over some rocks and fell into a side chamber where after a moment of thought she built a fire and retrieved Naruto sleeping form and set him up into the side chamber on her sleeping mat and dressed his wounds, not missing the fact that the kid had old wounds still healing from a recent battle before the one Shena herself had gotten into.

Sense then Shena had collected herbs, slept while still keeping watch for more of those ninja, and had been exploring the caves tunnels while Naruto did nothing but sleep, snore, and mumble in his sleep so loud that Shena had to revert to sleeping in the dark a good way away from the fire to get some peace and quite. It was just know that Shena had felt the cracked edge of the fake armor press into her side and when she took it off she discovered the result of the ninja that had attacked hers' bone crushing kick. At least the armor had protected her ribs.

With a grumble Shena pushed herself off the floor and reached for a one of her cold makeshift torches. Lighting it in the fire Shena gave Naruto on last pleading look to just wake up already then sighed and made her way out of the caves side chamber for the entrance.

Blinking rapidly Shena let her eyes adjust to the sudden bright light. Then taking a long breath in Shena stretch and raised her face to the sun and let the breath out in a slow stream. After a while Shena wiped her forehead with the back of her hand.

"Man it's hot." She said. "I need a swim." Shena frowned at the cave and turned away heading for the nearest lake. "The kid will be perfectly fine till I get back." She mumbled under her breath.



Black smelly mud came up to her ankles and with each step Shena had to use what little strength her body had left after two years of abuse that was the price to pay for living on the street as an orphan.

It was so ironic that today of all days was her ninth birthday. And it was only fitting that it to be pouring down rain because Shena didn't care. She didn't care much anymore. Not with the way her life had been like for the last past two years.

Rumors were like fire and in this case rumors were like fire that burned and killed. 'Cursed one' they called her, the adults. "Demon child' people hissed in hushed tones to their neighbors as some sort of strong man took swings at her with a wooden broom because she had come to close to his shop.

Shena had not taken one foot out of her village before rumors of its massacre reach every village in a hundred miles.

She had resorted to living in forests in grass and mud to save herself from angry villagers and begging on streets when she could, only to get chased out when someone recognized her description to the one of the 'demon child', to stay alive. She had grown so thin that and weightless that she could sleep on even the weakest of tree branches.

Finally Shena had found a small-insolated village that hadn't heard of the 'cursed child' yet and had settled herself into the back alleys. But still, even here, people didn't seem to want her around. Maybe it was the bruises on her face or dirt on her tattered dress or the bloodstains on clothes from her own wounds that made mothers grab their children and turn a blind eye and drag themselves away telling their children "Come now. You don't need to play with trash."

But none of this touched her. She didn't care if the villagers treated her like trash she was use to it by now. To her she was safe. She had a warm corner in an alley to call home and small source of food from begging and pinching stuff.

Or at least she was safe for a while.

Shena didn't even have a chance to scream before the men grabbed her and dragged her into the cold alley. Stars swam in her eyes as the men slammed her small body against the hard wet wood of a building.

When Shena's vision finally cleared she stared into a face straight from the hell of her dreams holding her up with a large hand around her throat.

**Leader**.

Leader sneered pushing a cold blade against her throat causing her to gulp a lump in her throat. Two other gruff looking men watched stone face a few feet away as their leader hissed violent words into Shena's face. She recognized them from the party that had been with Leader the day he tried to rob her village.

"You thought you would get away form me didn't you, you murderous bitch." Leader pulled her forward and smashed her back against the wall. "I told you I would kill you. You murdered my brother-"

"I didn't mean to." Shena said in a voice a little over a whisper. "Please let go of me. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, but you-"

"I DON'T CARE IF YOU DIDN'T MEAN TO!!!" Leader roared the smell of liquor slipping of his tongue. "YOU KILLED MY BROTHER!!! How do you like your life now you little bitch? I see the rumor that I started have given you hell-"

The words caught a cord in Shena heart.

"You!" Shena coughed out. "You were the one who-who told all those people that I killed my family. That their death was my fault."

"It was your fault you little bitch. And I will be doing society a great charity by slitting your throat."

Shena didn't hear him. Anger boil up in her till it was about to spill over. Vision to her village swam into her view. Then they were rapidly replaced with images of the last past two years. Wide-eyed stares. Harshly whispered words. Raging groups of people as they race her out of their village. The gleam of swords raised high. And then Naruko laughing face came to view while in the back ground someone was saying, "Look there's that cursed kid that murdered her whole village."

Shrieking Shena brought her hand up and slap leader with an already clawed hand.

Cursing Leader dropped Shena to the ground. Backing away Leader rubbed blood from his face yelled orders to his men.

"Don't just stand there! KILL HER!!"

All three men lunged at Shena as her last holds on control vanished and her world tipped into endless darkness.

The first thing Shena saw when she regained conscious was Leader dead body, eyes glazed over staring at her inches from her face. Gasping Shena hurried and crawled away.

A woman's vivid screams reached her ears. Looking up Shena saw one of the villagers flinging her arm around screaming at the top of her lungs. "Murder! Murder! Someone come quickly! Murder! Murder!"

Leader lay sprawled on the ground blood oozing from a gaping wound. The other two men lay dead a few feet away. One had a knife driven through his chest pinning him to the wooden wall.

Shena was cover in blood. And sense the rain had stopped it didn't wash away and only mixed with the mush of mud on the ground. Angry villager began to close off the entrance to the alley raising rusty looking swords and other sharps weapons.

"We should have never have let that trash into our village." One of the villagers was raging.

Shena got to her feet and tried to run away only to be faces with a dead end. Turning around Shena looked at the angry villagers and began slowly to walk backwards tears spilling from her eyes.

"I didn't mean to. Please, I didn't mean to." Shena pleaded.

Suddenly Shena tripped and fell into the mud. Bring her knees to her chest and fling her arms over her head she prepared herself for the villagers killing blows.

The blows never came.

After a while Shena lifted her head and looked at her saver.

There stood a woman it deep black hair like Shena's own if it had been clean tied back with a solid white ribbon. Her face was like porcelain with curved unpainted lips and a small slender nose. Dark eyes looked at her with no emotion at all. She wore priestess clothes of a white top and red bottoms. Over one shoulder hanged a long bow and a quiver full of arrows.

If the woman had not moved Shena would of thought she wasn't alive at all.

Silently the woman walked forward till she was standing over Shena. Calmly she leaned down on her knees and grabbed Shena's wrist and pulled her to her feet. Again without saying a word the woman turned and walk back toward the group of villagers who stared at her and Shena with wide eyes.

Finally when they arrived at the crowd one of the villagers detached himself for the rest and stood in the woman's away of the alley entrance.

'Priestess" He demanded. "What are you doing? The girl is a Murderer. Let us take care of her."

"What a shame." The woman's voice was like ice. "That a village would damn a mere child to death because she was caught up in a drunk man's raging." And with that she continued to walk forward dragging the wide eye Shena along with her.

The villager stumbled to get out of her way. Slowly the villagers parted and let the women and Shena through.

Somewhere near the edge of the village the woman stopped and bought a simple long brown dress Shena's size and a long white ribbon from a shock wide eyed woman who just stared at Shena. (Well anyone would. She was covered in drying blood.)

The villagers watch the women leave, taking Shena, with wide eye stares and blank faces.

About a mile outside the village the woman came to a hot spring that pop out of nowhere commanded Shena to wash the blood and dirt off her body. Taking Shena's old blood reeked and tattered clothes the women built a fire and burned them. After Shena was down the woman gave her the new brown dress and told to hurry and get dress and then helped her tie the white ribbon around her waist.

After Shena was completely done the woman sat down and gave a long sigh.

"Umm…thank you lady…" Shena hadn't catch her name.

"Kikyo. My name is Kikyo." The women said gently then rose and walked way from the hot spring. Suddenly she stopped and looked over her shoulder. "Well are you coming along. We don't want to be here if those villagers suddenly change their mind. Oh and what is your name?"

"Shena. My name is Shena." She blurted out.

"Aaaa…well very well hurry up Shena." And then turn and commenced walking again.

Shena's face slowly changed from shock to a smile of pure joy.

"Coming Lady Kikyo!" Shena piped and ran after her. When she caught up she fell into step right behind Kikyo and stared at the woman in awe.

Finally Shena had found someone to except her. No matter if there was blood on her hands.



Wincing Naruto began to stir under his cover on the sleeping mat. With a groan he opened his eye and stared dully around at blank wall of the cave's side chamber.

"What, where am I?" Naruto mumbled.

Quietly a fire crackled a few feet away. Cursing the numbness in his legs Naruto stumbled up. Wincing he rub his head, noticing that his hand and head was bandaged up.

"Where an I?" Naruto repeated now completely confessed. _The last thing I remember was those sound ninjas… _Naruto thought. Frowning Naruto looked at his hands and memory shifted in his mind. Murderously Naruto narrowed his eye. "Sasuke" He hissed. "you bastard."

"Damn it! Stupid rock!"

Naruto looked up is utter surprise. The voice came around the corner of the cave like a beacon being amplified by the cave's natural echoes. The last thing Naruto remembered was the sound ninja…

"Why in the world did I take him deeper into this pit hole is beyond me." The voice mumbled to herself.

Suddenly a foot appeared around the corner and was followed by a whole body. Acting quickly Naruto jumped the person from behind as she cursed at he empty sleeping mat. Altered by the sound of feet on the stone floor the person turned around with lighting speed.

But she wasn't fast enough.

With a startled cry Shena hit the ground with Naruto landing on top of her pinning her arms at 90 degree angles to her body and each foot on each of her kneecaps.

"What the…ARGH!!" Shena yelled. "Get off of me you ungrateful little-GET OFF!!!"

With a quick motion Shena brought her head up and slammed it against Naruto skull knocking him off balance. With a wince Naruto pulled back and rubbed the sore spot on his forehead where Shena had hit.

"What's the big deal!!! I saved your ass and as a thank you you jump me!!!" Shena yelled in Naruto face after she removed herself from the ground.

Naruto stared at her with the blank expression of an utter idiot in utter confusion. Then slowly, very slowly, recognition showed and spread on his face. "Wait" He said slowly. "I remember you…" Suddenly Naruto jammed a finger in her face. "You're that girl that called me a shrimp the other day!! But wait." Naruto looked around the cave. "The last thing I remember was those sound ninja attacking me and you can't be a sound ninja…" His voice trailed off.

"Ten points for you." Shena said giving Naruto and mock applause. "You fingered out I'M NOT THE ENEMY!!!" Producing her bow from behind her back she turned and glared a Naruto. "As for who I am…" Shena brought bow down hard on Naruto's head. "I'M THE ONE WHO SAVED YOU, REMEMBER NOW!!!!"

Naruto cover his head protectively. "Sorry, sorry, but where am I?"

Shena sighed and let her arms sag. "You're inside a cave right outside Kahona village." Shena said gently. "I brought you here. This cave catacombs god knows how far into this hill. I stumbled across the entrance two months ago. I used to sleep in the main part of the cave near the opening" Shena indicated to the passageway she had came around. "But when I saved your ass I came deeper inside so those _ninja_" She fumbled with the word. "Couldn't find you _or_ me. This is one of the side chambers." Shena indicated with a wide sweep of her hands. "I have been using it to treat your wounds. _Now_ if you would please there is the exit. You look like your healed so you can go away now." Making shooing motions with her hands she continued "I have to pack. Oh and don't slip over some rocks in the dark and brake something ok?"

"Pack?" Naruto peeped. Shena ignored him and began to push what little she had into her pack and rolled up her sleeping mat. Tying the mat to her pat Shena hauled it up onto her shoulders . Grabbing a stick Shena stuck it into the fire and made a makeshift torch. Quickly she doused the fire and holding the torch high shot one last mean look at the thunder struck Naruto. Then she turned and left in silence.

Silently Naruto followed her with his memory beginning to fall in place.

When Naruto and Shena reached the cave opening Shena doused the torch in a nearly by puddle and turned to Naruto.

"Ok kid. Your village is that way" Shena said pointing over Naruto's shoulder. "I'm going this way to the road. Your wounds are healed but just try to take it easy for a while." And with that Shena turned and walked away.

"Ummmm…crazy girl the road is that way." Naruto pointed over his shoulder in the opposite direction. "Kohona village is that way."

Mid-stride Shena stop and abruptly turned around and continued on her away in the opposite direction. When she passed Naruto she hiss under her breath. "I knew that."

As she past Naruto noticed the arrows jammed into the quiver slung over her shoulder. Memories of pink arrows slipped over his mind.

"Hey!" Naruto yelled. "Hey crazy girl! Wait! Wait!" Quickly Naruto chased after her.

Shena eye twitched as she spun around and yelled right at Naruto. "What the hell do you want?!! I save your life and healed your wounds, though I didn't even know who you were, what else do you want from me?! Get a hint AND GO AWAY!!!

"Anyways" Shena said in a gentler tone. "My name is Shena _not _crazy girl."

"Ok, ok, but I just wanted to ask you about that jutsu you did with the arrows. You know the pink one. I remember know. I got cornered by those sound ninja and you showed up and shot all those pink arrows. What kind of jutsu was that?" Naruto suddenly frowned and stared intently at Shena. "Hey what's that sparkling around your neck."

In utter shock Shena slapped a hand over her shards and felt them prick her hands through her dress. _What the hell! _Shena thought. _How did he see my shards?! I don't sense any demon or sacred energy coming off of him. _Memories of the demons pulse faintly in the air drifted over her mind. _ But I still don't like it. I'm getting out of here._

Turning Shena began to quickly walk away.

_Man she's touchy. _Naruto thought. "Wait hold up!" Naruto yelled . Running in front of her Naruto walked backwards to face her since she didn't stop walking.

"Hey you seem to not be from around here. How about I help you find your was around if you tell me what kind of jutsu with the arrows that was." Naruto said with a grin.

Shena stopped and glared at Naruto. "Kid I don't know what your talking about with jutsus and all but if you don't get out of my way you're going to find out how it feels to have a tree branch up your rear end." Naruto winced and moved out of her way as she began to walk again. "And you couldn't help me unless you've seen a giant black bird around here" She mumbled.

_Giant black bird?_ Naruto thought. "Hey crazy girl wait! I can help you! I've seen a giant black bird!" Naruto yelled after her.

Shena hesitated then looked over the shoulder a stared narrowly at Naruto. After a while Shena snorted and mumbled "Not worth it." Under her breath and returned to walking.

Thinking fast Naruto yelled after her. "I'll tell you about it over a bowl of ramen! I don't know about you but I'm starving. I'll buy!"

Shena stopped dead and slowly turned around to face Naruto. After a while Shena took in one big breath and held it till her face turned blue then slowly let it and glared at Naruto.

"Ok kid you got ten minutes. Start talking."


	6. Deals are made

**I don't wish to do this but I guess I have to even though I haven't done it all the other six chapters but here goes.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…yes I know it is not fair.**



Chapter seven

Deals are made



"Ok…let me get this straight." Shena said between mouthfuls of ramen. "You saw this-" Shena shot the man behind the counter a quick glance then swallowed down the ramen in her mouth. "You saw this" Shena continued in a very quite voice "giant black bird fly over when you were in this forest of death with you teammates." Shena dipped her chopsticks back into her fourth bowl of ramen and ate anther mouth full. "Right?"

"Yep that pretty much sums it up." Naruto said through a mouthful of ramen.

Shena and Naruto sat on two stools at Ichiraku's ramen bar. Naruto was on his sixth bowl while Shena was working on her fourth, her stomach crunching from the sudden intact of so much food.

_Man. _Shena thought. _I forgot how much real food taste so__** good!**_

Shena gulped down the last of her fourth bowl and with a wave of her hand turned down an offer for a fifth saying kindly "Oh no thank you if I eat any more I'll burst." Naruto on the other hand pushed away his sixth bowl and happily excepted a seventh bowl with a joyful "Thanks!" and a smile like that of a boy at Christmas.

_Dear god. _Shena thought. _He's a bottomless pit. _Shena watched as he obliterated his seventh bowl in just two minutes, much faster then he had the other six bowls since he wasn't talking between mouthfuls, then yet again excepted another full bowl of ramen.

Over the last past few hours Naruto had give her the best description of bird as he could with her stopping him frequently asking questions like 'How big was the bird?' or 'What color was the bird?' and finally 'Did the bird have a rider?' so far Naruto had answered all the questions to where they matched the Totosai's description perfectly. All accept one single question.

The bird didn't have a rider.

_So where is she? _Shena though putting her chin in her hand and bowing her head in thought. _She must hiding. But why? There are no demons here only human resistances. Not even a measly miko. Demon with supper powerful sword plus a completely human village equals a dead village in my book. So where is she? Why hasn't she even tried to take the village or any village at that? What is she trying to do with out any humans noticing her? How can no humans notice her? Why is she waiting and hiding? _Shena gave Naruto a sideways glance to see him finishing his ninth bowl. _Great I finally have my lead and all it leads me to is more questions like if that demon has such a powerful sword why not use it. _Shena thought bitterly. _And how can this kid see my shards?"_

Shena sighed and rubbed her temple with her fingers as she felt a headache come on. _This to confusing even for me. _Shena thought.

Naruto pushed away his tenth bowl and sighed in contempt. "Man that was good." He said fishing out his wallet to pay for the food and rubbing his stomach at the same time. "I can't eat another bite."

"It's about time." Shena mumbled under her breath. "Hey Naruto." Shena said catching the kid's attention. "So where is this 'forest of death' exactly?"

Naruto eyes narrowed as she looked at her. "If I tell you what will you do?"

"That is none of your business." Shena snapped.

"You're going to look for that bird thing aren't you?"

"And what if I am? What are you going to do about it?" Shena said pick up her tea to take a drink.

"Go with you of course." Naruto said causally.

Shena spewed her tea all over the counter as she gasped in shock. "Hell no!" Shena spat at him. "There is no way your coming with me. No damn way!" Shena yelled flying her arms around.

"Then I won't tell you where the forest is." Naruto stated.

Shena almost yelled at him but kept her fury in check. A feat that she didn't do often. "As I do remember." She said through her teeth. "I _saved _you."

"And I bought you food _and _told you about your giant bird. In my book we're even."

Shena glared at him, her right eye twitching dangerously. "Ok fine shrimp can come with me."

Naruto beamed victory. "Ok but before I tell you anything I want to get some things clear. One my name is Naruto not shrimp or kid. Second I want you to explain that arrow justu. You know the pink ones.

Shena glared at Naruto a minute then whipped out one of her arrows and pushed it under his nose. "Ok _Naruto,_ first the pink arrows are called sprit arrows or purification arrow they aren't a justu. I build up my energy in the arrow then shoot it. Got it?"

"So you build up your chakra in the arrow then shoot it."

"Yay fine whatever." Shena said putting her arrow back into her quiver over her shoulder. "Ok now where is this forest."

"Humph! Like I would fall for that."

"Fall for what?"

"If I just told you where the forest is you'll just go there with out me."

This time Shena wasn't able to hold back her anger. Jumping up Shena grabbed the front of Naruto's jumpsuit and yelled into his face. "Just tell me where that damn forest is already!!!"

Suddenly Shena was aware of the stares she was receiving. Calmly Shena let go of Naruto and flopped back onto her stool as her headache returned with terrible force. "Sorry." Shena mumbled. "Lost my temper."

"Ever heard of anger management." Naruto mumbled sitting back down. "Ok met me by the north gate at nine tomorrow and I will take to the forest. Good. Great. See you tomorrow."

And before Shena could say a word Naruto jumped from his seat and ran into the evening crowd waving good-bye as he disappeared.

"Hey Naruto wait!" Shena yelled after him causing her head to throbbed. But it was to late he had utterly vanished. Letting out a long string of curses when Naruto didn't magically reappear Shena droped her head into her hand.

_Great! Just Great…Oh my head_. Shena thought rubbing her temples in pain. _Guess I have no choice. I'm going to have to take him along. _Still cursing Shena headed for the gate.

"But once that idiot shows me where the forest is" Shena said under her breath. "I'm so going to ditch him."



_Maybe I won't ditch hem just yet._ Shena thought. "I thought you said that this was a forest." Shena snapped at Naruto. "This place is a freaking jungle." Naruto didn't respond. He was staring at the metal chain fence with a hurt almost lost look on his face. "Hey Naruto…earth to Naruto…Baka!"

Shena's chuckles cracked as they connected with Naruto's skull. "Hey snap out of it. Were you even listening to me?" She snapped.

Naruto clutched his head as a red round bump formed. "What the hell was that for?!" He yelled.

"You were staring off into space. And not listening to me. I just brought you back down to earth. Consider it a favor." Shena said turning away to face the fence once more. "As I was saying." She continued. "I thought you said this place was a forest not a freaking jungle."

"Humph. Don't look at me I'm not the one that named it." Naruto grumbled still holding his head.

"So where was that bird?" Shena asked.

"Ummmm…it was a long time ago…"

"Do I need to give you another favor to knock lose some memoirs." Shena said rolling up her shelves.

Naruto panicked and waved his hands in front of him. "No, no. I remember now. It was on the far east side. We were heading for the center before…" Naruto suddenly dropped off.

"Before what?" Shena inquired.

"Before we got split you, me and my team." Naruto said.

Shena watch him as he wouldn't make eye contact with a serious frown on her face. The way he said 'team' was odd. It was like it pained him. _He's not telling me the whole story. _Shena thought. _Oh well It's not my place to pry. _"Ok so ho do we get there?" She asked.

"Well we'll just climb or the fence and walk there." Naruto said.

"Climb? Why not just use the gate?"

"It's locked."

"Well don't you have a key?"

"No. People don't really go in here. I mean it is called the forest of death."

"Then do you think it is a good idea to go in there?"

"I thought you wanted to find this bird of yours. Don't worry. You'll have the great Uzumaki Naruto there to protect you. We'll be fine." Naruto said walking toward the fence.

After a while Shena pulled at the straps of her pack and followed after him. "Yep" Shena mumbled. "We're all going to die."

"What was that."

"Nothing."



"Man you're slow." Naruto said waiting for Shena to catch up. "If we had just jumped from tree to tree we'd be there by now. And we wouldn't have to run form those man eating tigers."

"Oh shut up." Shena snapped finally catching up to Naruto. "Do I look like a freaking monkey to you."

"I'm just saying you're not much of a ninja."

"Well maybe that because I'm not a ninja." Shena said violently jumping over a tree root that was sticking up out of the dirt ground.

"If you're not a ninja then how do you do those pink arrows."

"Didn't I explain that already."

"Then where did you learn it?"

Shena gritted her teeth. "From a old sensei."

"In what village?"

"What is this?!!" Shena yelled. "Twenty questions." Turning around Shena stormed forward. "I didn't have a village."

"So you're a rouge ninja."

"For the last and finale time I'M NOT A NINJA!!" Shena yelled making little animals shift terrified in the underbrush.

"Who was your sensei?" Naruto said not phased by her out burst.

"Who's Sasuke?" Shena countered.

Naruto stop dead his face froze in something between shock and sadness. "How do you know Sasuke?" Naruto in a voice rimmed with ice. A completely different Naruto then the one she had just been talking to.

Shena looked at him with the same frown on as she had when she heard him say 'team' only now it was twisted with slight concern. _I've hit a sore spot. _Shena thought. "I don't know him. You kept mumbling his name over and over when you were knock out. You didn't like the guy very much, Huh?"

"What makes you say that." Naruto said in a low tone staring at the ground.

"When you said his name it was followed by either bastard or asshole. Most of the time."

Shena informed him.

"What did I say the other half of the time."

"Come back."

With out saying a word Naruto stared at the ground and walked furrowed pass Shena with out looking at her.

"Well are you going to tell me?" Shena asked after him.

"What it this?" Naruto asked stopping and turning his head to one side to stare at her out the corner of his eye. "Twenty Question." And then continued to walking.

Again after a while Shena pulled at the straps of the pack and followed after him.



Shena wasn't expecting a barrier. In fact she wasn't expecting to find anything at all thinking this was a wild goose chase and she would find nothing. Well she was able to be wrong some times in her life right.

But a barrier she did find although it surprised the hell out of her and a barrier she had to deal with…

"Naruto stop!" Shena yelled reaching out and grabbing his shoulder. "Don't go and further."

"What is it?" Naruto asked. "Were almost there."

Without answering him Shena walked forward and reached out into the empty air probing. _I know I felt something…something evil and dark. _Shena thought. _It feels wrong…_ "Ah! That burns!"

Shena ripped her hand back in pain as she rubbed her brunt fingertips where they had touched the edge of the barrier. A shimmer of black electricity and sparks revealed the barriers location like a neon sign right a where Naruto had been two steps form standing.

"Shena are you alright!" Naruto yelled coming to her side.

"Yay I'm fine." _I don't understand barriers are to shock you not burn you. Who ever made this put a lot of dark evil energy into it. _Shena looked at Naruto who was staring at the place where the barrier had vanished. "Looks like this wasn't a giant goose chase after…what the hell!"

Before Shena the barrier began to flex and pull as though it was reshaping itself. An opening just human size opened before her like a twitsted greeting. Corrupted jewels shards energy came pouring out causing Shena's stomach to turn painfully.

_I can feel them… the shards.. and that damn demons presence too. _Shena thought. _It's a trap an idiot could see that._

"What's happening?" Naruto asked making Shena remember his presence.

"She's letting us in." Shena answered.

"Who?"

"The giant birds rider."

"Ha! That was her mistake." Naruto said as he surged forwarded through the barriers opening.

"Naruto stop you idiot! She's a de-"

"Kaw!"

Shena looked up just in time to see a human toddler sized crow swoop at her head. While trying to draw and arrow and turn around at the same time Shena lost her balance on the uneven ground and fell backwards knocking Naruto and herself all the way through the barrier.

With out a sound the barrier closed up behind them sealing them in.

"You idiot! Do you know what you just did. Now we're trapped!" Shena yelled jumping to her feet.

"My fault! You're the one who…"

Naruto dropped dead as a faint clapping broke through his words. Looking up both Naruto and Shena froze.

Sitting cross-legged up in a low branch sat one of the most beautiful women Naruto had ever seen clapping.

Her face and skin was a pale as china and also just a flawless. Blood red lips turned up in a slight slender smile. Silky black curly hair rimmed her face with its high check bones and slender curved black eyebrows above red painted eyelids and continued to fall down her back till it reached her hips. Black shiny armor protected her chest and stomach leaving her shoulders exposed. The rest of her was covered in a long black silted skirt that reached her ankles to reveal tiny bare white feet and black open fingered glove ran from her hand to her elbows.

She almost looked human. If it wasn't for four things she would pass as a human in any crowd.

One was her silky black wings folded at her sides. Two was her long black nails that served as claws growing from her each of her fingers. Three was her blood red eyes with their diamond shaped pupil. And Four was the corrupted aura that poured from the black-jeweled scabbard that hung at her side.

"So nice you could drop in." The woman said in a silky voice. Putting her hands down on the branch under her the demon pushed herself off and glided down to the ground with her wings in perfect elegance. "You must be Shena."

"And you must be that damn women with the shards." Shena glared.

"Oh such a bad mouthed girl." The demon said waging a finger at Shena like a bad acting child. "You better be careful speaking like that might get you _killed_." Smiling the demon woman reveal pointed fangs in her teeth. "And my name Hayloula, not damn demon."

"Go to hell." Shena hissed.

Hayloula smile vanished and was replaced with a furious frown. "If I were you." She said in a voice like ice. "I would be begging for my life right now instead of trying to act tough. You don't know who your messing with."

With lighting speed from years of practice Shena pulled an arrow from her quiver and loaded her bow. "You don't know who _you're_ messing with." And shot a purification arrow right at her heart.

In a flash of metal and whirl of black silk Shena's arrow landed into two pieces on the ground at Hayloula's feet and then burst into flames till only ash was left.

"Little girls shouldn't be playing with such dangerous toys." Hayloula laughed raising the sword over her chest. "You might get hurt."

Painfully Shena's stomach twisted and she fell to her knees coughing up some blood as the whole force of the corrupted jewel shards presence hit her like a brick.

_Damn! _Shena thought. _I'm not like Kikyo or Kagome I can't be near any corrupted shards because my shards will turn black because I'm not strong enough to keep them pure in a corrupted jewel shards presence. And if my shards go black I die because the corruption would poison my heart. Damn it! I'm not strong enough. _Under her dress Shena felt her jewel shards grow hot as her stomach heaved. _If I go to close to her…I'll…_

_**You will lose control. You will lose control of your shards and they will turn black corrupting your hurt beyond repair. Because you are connected you will die when the pure flame of your shards dies. This is the truth…**_

_Damn you Kikyo. _Shena thought as memoirs of her cold words dripped into her mind. _I will not die like that. I refuse to die like that! I will be stronger then that!_

Pushing away her thoughts of Kikyo away Shena stood tried to regain her footing as she fought back the corruption to her best ability. Finally standing Shena faced the Hayloula square on only to have her way blocked by a orange figure.

"Naruto you idiot get out of the way. You can't fight her. She's-"

"A demon right. She's a demon. Just like the Nine Tailed Fox. I don't know how I now, but I know she is a demon. You kind of left that out of description you know. Don't worry she won't hurt you because if she wants to hurt you she'll have to go through me." Naruto said pulling a kunai from his pouch.

Shena opened her mouth to yell at Naruto to stop playing the hero and get the hell out the way when she heard laughter. Hayloula's laughter. She was laugh at them.

She was laughing clutching her sword in one hand and her stomach in the other. "A human." She giggled. "You must be joking. You brought a_ ordinary_ _human _ to protect you. Oh this is just too good. Now I can give my pet two snacks for the price of one."

"Shut up you bitch! You don't scare me!" Naruto yelled.

Again Hayloula's smile vanished and was replaced with a furious scowl. "You little brat. I think I'll just kill you right now."

In a blur Hayloula half ran half flew furrowed raising her sword to take Naruto's head. Just as quick Naruto started to duck as Shena drew another arrow and drove it home through Hayloula's unprotected ankle.

With a scream of pain Hayloula pulled her swing up skimming only a few hair off Naruto head.

"Naruto run!" Shena yelled.

Whipping out her other arm Hayloula caught Naruto in the stomach and flung him back like a rag doll. Turning she raised her sword and swung at Shena missing her by inches as she flung herself sideways to miss the blow. Rolling in the dust Shena jumped to her feet and shot another purification arrow at her. With a flick of Hayloula's wrist Shena's second arrow met the same fate as the first had. Flying furrowed Hayloula took another swing and Shena head missing and only ending up cutting into the tree behind Shena when she ducked.

Shena felt her shards darken from being to close to the other shards corrupted aura. _Need to keep control. Need to keep control! _Shena thought frantically she dodged another swing.

"What's the matter Shena." Hayloula laughed. "Are you feeling the lovely power of my shards. Why fight it when you can just give in a have a quick painful death." She hissed as Shena dodged another blow coming away with a cut on her cheek. Her breathing was already hard and rough. "How pathetic you are. A disciple of Kikyo herself and you can't even come close to corrupted shard because they will kill. You a failure-"

"Shut up you!" Naruto yelled jumping at Hayloula's back.

With a whirl Hayloula smashed Naruto again across the chest with her arm and flung him up into the air till his back hit the barrier. Black energy brunt deep into Naruto's back leaving scorch marks and with a scream pain Naruto fell to the ground unconscious.

"Naruto!" Shena yelled.

"Foolish human. I'll kill you- ARGH!" Hayloula cried out in pain as Shena purification arrow ripped across her shoulder. With a snarl Hayloula whirled to face Shena again who already had another arrow loaded on her bow. "You bitch! I'll kill you!" She roared.

Smashing the tip of her sword into the ground Hayloula brought her sword up send and whip of dark energy right into Shena chest flying her backward till her back slammed against a tree.

With a blink of an eye Hayloula appeared and grabbed Shena neck choking the air out of her as she pinned her body against the tree.

"I heard a little rumor that if your shards turn black you die." Hayloula said pushing the tip blade up under Shena's neck pricking her neck till a drop of blood dripped onto the blade. "Just think as you die that if three shards make me this powerful just think how much power I will have with six."

It was all too much the corrupted shards power reached out calling Shena's shards. Pain twisted her body as control slipped and her shards became little more corrupted. Death rimmed Shena's eyes and her heart gave another twist and her head felt like it would implode. Her nails became long and blakc as the corruption spread.

_No I can't die like this!_ Shena thought desperately.

"Get you hands off of her!" Naruto's voice erupted her from her dieing thoughts. But it wasn't Naruto's voice something was wrong with it.

Then Shena noticed it.

Hayloula had stopped deadeye wide with shock. The air was thick with a terrible aura that challenged the presence of even three corrupted Shikon no Tama shards. Dropping Shena to the ground Hayloula turned around to face the new threat.

With the movement of her head Shena was able to look around Hayloula at Naruto.

Or what she thought was Naruto.

His body was incased in a evil red solid light. Her nails were long like claws. Two pointed fangs slipped over his bottom lip and four red see through tails unfolded form his body and waved in the air. But the most shocking feature was his eyes.

His eyes were like Hayloula's red with a black diamond shaped pupil. Demons eyes.

"What are you?" Hayloula gasped staring at Naruto.

"Your worst nightmare." Naruto hissed as he lunged on all fours at Hayloula.

Raising the sword Hayloula blocked Naruto's blow as Naruto caught the sword in his hands and whipped his hand under the blade to scar Hayloula's cheek drawing blood. Hayloula drew back and to a savage swing at Naruto who disappeared.

Shocked Hayloula looked around for her enemy. A shadow above her head made her look up just as Naruto's fist slammed into her skull causing her to lose balance. With a snarl Hayloula rocked on her feet till she regained her balance and then search again for her opponent.

"Come out you bastard! I don't care what you are I'll rip you apart!" Hayloula scream.

"Your wish." Naruto hissed behind her back as two of the four red tails reached out and warped around Hayloula's sword arm paralyzing it.

"What!?! Let go of me you bastard!" Hayloula yelled trying to pull her arm free.

In a splay of blood and crushing bone Naruto ripped Hayloula's whole sword arm, with her still clutching the sword, from her body.

Eyes wide with shock and face contorted with pain and anger Hayloula stepped back a few steps as the place where her arm used to be attached gushed red blood.

"You bastard." She hissed. "I'll get you for this."

With the sword arm still warp up in his tails Naruto pulled the blade closer to his body. "You wouldn't mind if I kept as a souvenir do you?" Naruto laughed pulling the sword closer to his body. Suddenly the corrupted shard power lunged out from the sword and brunt Naruto. With a flash of evil energy Naruto was flung back unconscious into a nearby tree making a carter in it.

Two toddler-sized crows swooped down from the tree and lifted the sword from ground and flew over their master head dropping it. Reaching up Hayloula warped her fingers over the her own fingers that still clutched the sword.

"This isn't over." She spat at Shena who lay stunned against the tree at what she just saw.

Digging the tip of her sword into the dirt Hayloula called on her escape. "Wake up my beauty. I no longer care for this place."

In a shower of rock Hayloula's giant black bird appeared from under her feet. Spreading its black wings and calling to the sky the huge bird took flight taking its master to safety over the treetops.

After a moment of silence Shena shook off her shock and rock herself to her feet. Stumbling over to Naruto Shena dropped to her knees and looked at the young boy.

The red light had vanished leaving a hurt human unconscious Naruto on the dirt ground. A burn wound ran across his chest where the blade had rejected him.

Feeling a warm liquid on her face Shena reached up and touched the corner of her mouth pulling away bloody fingers. Her chest hurt and her nails were still black but she was still alive. Weak but alive.

_I really was close to dieing._ Shena thought. _If Naruto hadn't jumped in when he did my soul wouldn't have been able to keep my shards pure. Naruto you saved my life…but was the hell are you?"_



Come on, come on…come on!" Shena yelled squinting her eyes shut trying to pull her concentration. Her nails were still long and black and no matter how hard she tried they wouldn't go back "Damn it!" Shena hissed.

The pain in her chest was still there and hadn't gone away in the least but at least she wasn't coughing up blood anymore. She had a cut covering her back where she had collided with the tree and bruises on her neck where Hayloula had tried to choke the life out of her but other then that she was fine. No broken or shattered bones and on deep cuts that would leave scars with out the help of the shards. She was completely fine…or almost fine.

Shena's shards had been slightly corrupted and the link between Shena and her shards was tainted causing her pain. And no matter how much Shena tried to purify it it wouldn't work.

"Ok Shena, think pure thoughts. Come on this would be a piece of cake for Kikyo. Pure thoughts." Letting out all her breath Shena put her fingers into a meditating position and with all her might tried to purify her shards.

Her heart gave a painful twist causing Shena to cough up more blood but it worked. Steaming Shena's hands went back to normal.

Letting out a huge sigh Shena let her shoulder slump. _I did it…barely. Damn it! I'm getting weaker. My innocence is running out. Soon I'll be going on empty…is like Kikyo said will I die young from just being to stubborn because I won't give up my shards. And as I get older my innocence of childhood gets weaker and with out that nothing holds back my shards from corruption._ Frowning Shan stared at the sky watching the clouds slip by. Wrinkling her nose Shena spat it the ground. "Piss on that." She said. "I'm not dieing anytime soon."

"Ummmmm…Shena? Could I ask…WHY THE HELL I'M TIED UP!!!!?" Naruto yelled kicking making Shena look at him.

Naruto sat with his back to a tree vines wrapping around his arms and torso pinning him to the tree making him immobile. Shena frowned at him then rose to her feet and walk over to Naruto till she was standing a few feet away from him. "So you woke up, huh?" She said in a low tone.

"What the hell did I do to you?! And what happened? Where's that demon woman with the sword?! I'll-"

Naruto stopped dead and stared at Shena who had an arrow loaded on her bow and pointed straight at his chest.

"Talk! What are you? How can you have a demon aura out the roof one minute and a clean human aura the next? What are you? Are you human…or are you demon?" Shena demand her eyes glaring at Naruto.

Naruto just stared at her.

"Well are you going to answer me?" Shena hissed. "If you're a demon in human form that has come to take the shards to make you stronger I swear I'll purify your ass right here."

Naruto frowned at her sadness filling his eyes. He didn't look at Shena but stared at the ground.

Shena tightened her hold on her bow and drew her arrow back further. "Answer me!" She screamed. "I don't deal with the types of any demons. And if you don't answer me I will shoot you right here!" Pulling her arrow the full away back Shena aimed dead center to Naruto's chest.

"The day I was born." Naruto began causing Shena to shake suddenly out of her rage. The sound of his voice was so sad. "My village was under attack by a demon called the Nine Tailed Fox. The 4th hokage, the leader of my village, sacrificed himself and sealed the Nine Tailed Fox's sprit inside me. That red light you saw, and I know you saw it, that was the Nine Tailed Fox's chakra. That back there was me, but at the same time not me. Do you understand?"

Slowly while Naruto was talking Shena had lowered her bow and now just stare and Naruto in a face half full of confusion and half shock. "You…wait what. Stop, stop your not making any sense. Nine Tailed Fox?"

"It attacked my vill-"

"I heard that part" Shena snapped. "But what are you saying…it makes no sense. The Nine Tailed Fox was one of the great nine leaders and they have been missing for over sixty years. Right after Inuyasha's father death."

"Inuyasha…wait what do you know about the Nine Tailed Fox?" Naruto asked.

Shena sat down on the dirt ground before Naruto. Her anger was gone replaced with firm confusion. "Ok. Naruto start at the very beginning when the Nine Tailed Fox attack your village and tell me everything."

And over the next few hours Naruto summed up his life history.



Shena sat motionless when Naruto finished. She didn't move to relieve a cramp in her leg or even look at Naruto who stared at her for her reaction. She just sat there starring at the ground.

"So your best friend, Sasuke, betrayed you to go with this evil snake guy to get stronger to be able to kill his bother who murdered his whole clan. Did I get that right?" Shena said at last looking up at Naruto. "And the Nine Tailed Fox, _the _Nine Tailed Fox, is sealed within you. Right?" She asked.

"That pretty much sums it up." Naruto said staring at the ground.

Shena look at him. _No wonder he was so sad when he said team. This Sasuke ripped their friendship to pieces._ Shena looked at her hands. They had scratches all over them. _The Nine Tailed Fox an ultimate class demon. _She thought looking up at Naruto. _With that kind of power…even if he wasn't to use all the power at one moment…I wasn't able to even touch her without being corrupted. He doesn't have any control over his demon powers all his energy goes all over the place. But if I could teach him to focus his powers even just a little and all I would be able to do is work the basics… _Shena clenched her hands into fists. _Hayloula wouldn't even stand a chance. _"Naruto can I ask you something?"

"Huh, what?"

"Can you do fox fire?"

"Fox what?" Naruto asked in utter confusion.

_Like I thought he doesn't have a clue. Not a wink of demon training…but should I be dragging him into this._

"Naruto do you remember what happened right before you passed out the second time. When the Nine Tailed Fox was in control?" Shena asked.

Naruto eyes dimmed visibly. "No." He said simply.

"You ripped Hayloula's sword arm from her body but when you tired to take the sword it rejected you and knocked you out."

"I did what?" Naruto asked shocked.

"You had no control over your powers."

"Huh, and do think you can do better." Naruto mumbled.

Silently Shena reached back and pulled a kunai from her pocket in her cloak. Putting the point under Naruto's chin Shena stared him right into the eye.

"Naruto I'll make you a deal. I'll tell you everything and anything you want to know about demons, the shards around my neck, and the Nine Tail Fox and train you-"

"Train me?" Naruto asked.

"Yes train you. You might be able to evoke the Nine Tailed Foxes power to a high degree but you can't control it worth a damn. I could teach some basic teachings that would help you to control your demon energy when unleashed and a new demon based technique. I'll do this if you help me fight Hayloula. And I will tell you this…I don't know what Hayloula is planning but when she puts it into motion a lot of people are going to die."

Naruto stared at her.

"Well do we have a deal?" Shena asked.

Naruto stared ground ignoring the kunai Shena still held. _To beat Sasuke and bring him back I need to get stronger…and that woman was going to kill Shena…over what! A few shards of a jewel._

Naruto raised his head and stared at Shena right into the eye and said three single words. "It's a deal."

Raising the kunai high Shena slashed the vines that held Naruto to the tree and helped him to his feet. When they were both off the ground Shena took Naruto hand and gave it a good shake. "Then it is a deal." She said. "Welcome club of demon hunters."

At that precise moment Shena's stomach gave a large growl alerting her that she was starving. Turning around to hide her blush Shena headed away back into the forest. "And as your new sensei" Shena said. "you can buy me diner."

"What! Are you kidding I didn't agree to that!" Naruto yelled. "And ain't that barrier thing still up."

"Lesson number one. Barriers are close range things. Take away the thing or person holding up the barrier and it just collapses. And as your new sensei I order you to shut up and hurry up. I'm hungry." Shena said casually over her shoulder.

"Huh. Like I'd take orders from a bat out of hell like you." Naruto mumbled braking into a run to catch up with Shena

"I heard that shrimp."



**Hello me again.  
**

**If you are confused raise your hand. Yes I mean you. If your hand is raised don't worry your suppose to be confused and don't worry again the next chapter will clear ever thing up for you. Like a said before this has a few small AUish twists in the plot**

**Till next time!**


	7. Telling of Tales and Kidnapped

Hello again people I won't bug you long just have a few things to say…

First off Woohoo! I have five reviews. I know most authors celebrate when they have like 100 reviews but five is good enough for me. Where's the wine…

Runelesca: Thank you so much for the review!!!!

Vincent Nuramashi: Not very talkative but thank you any way!

Oh and one last thing thoughts in flashbacks will be in _**Bold **_(likes this for example)

Thank you!



Chapter 7

Telling of Tales and Kidnapped



"_Try again Shena."_

"_But Lady Kikyo I've tried. I just can't do it."_

"_Try again."_

_Pulling in a big breath of air Shena pulled another arrow onto her bowstring and shot an arrow dead center into a tree she was facing. Her aim was flawless and position prefect, as was to be expected from two years of training under Kikyo's eye, but her aim wasn't the problem._

_Her arrow was a normal arrow._

"_See lady Kikyo I just can't do it no matter how hard I try. I just can't do a spirit arrow. Maybe I'm not a Miko after all." Shena looked at her feet ashamed at he failure._

_For two years Shena had been training under Kikyo learning all there was on basic level. She was happy again and she smiled more. She wasn't skin and bones anymore because of Kikyo's generous amount of food she got for her. And Shena no longer feared walking out in the open. If she was by lady Kikyo's side she was safe from everything._

_Finally after hard training of drawing shooting and aiming a bow and arrow Kikyo had began on spirit arrows. According to Kikyo Shena could do spirit arrows. It was in her blood she would say. The problem was no mater how hard she tried she couldn't do a simple spirit arrow._

"_Stop saying you can't." Kikyo snapped. In a more gentle voice Kikyo got on one knee and stared Shena at eye level. "Try harder. Remember what I said. You need to build up your energy. Try thinking of something that builds up emotion. Emotions are the surest way to invoke inner energy. That should help."_

_Full of courage Shena looked up at Kikyo and beamed. She could do this! Drawing another arrow she pulled it onto her bow and aimed it for the tree._

_**Think emotion Shena…think emotion. **__Closing her eyes hard Shena__dug into her mind looking. The crackle of fire curled in her ear. Peals of cold laugher fad through her mind. Anger built up in her gut. Her shards grew hot against her chest._

_Letting her eyes fly open with fury burning deep in her pupils Shena let go of the arrow._

_In a burst of pink sparks Shena first spirit arrow hit dead center shattering the tree in a shower of splitters before it and imbedded itself into a near by tree trunk. With a thunderous crack the tree came crashing down to the grass leaving only a ragged stump connected to the ground._

_Shena's face went to shock to shear joy breaking out into wide grin of victory. Jumping up and down at her triumph she yelled loudly to the forest. "I did it! I did it! Lady Kikyo does this mean I'm a Miko. I did it!" Suddenly she cringed at a sharp ping of pain make her smile evaporate from her face. It only lasted a second as her vision blurred on the edges. Then it was gone like it was never there._

_Turning to Kikyo, expecting praise for her triumph, Shena stopped seeing the frown on Kikyo that demanded seriousness her blood running cold._

_Had she done something wrong?_

"_Lady Kikyo-" Shena began._

"_Give them to me." Kikyo said pushing out her open hand palm up at Shena. "Give me your shards."_

_Shena's mouth hug open as though she had lost the ability to speak. "Lady Kikyo…why?" Shena gasped not comprehending what was happening clutching her bow closer to her chest._

"_You're young and you don't understand. Those who carry the shard have great misfortune fall on their heals no matter where they go . Even though the shards have great purify ability there is always a dark evil between the corners of light. This is the soul of the demon that was sealed into the jewel along with the miko Midoriko 500 years ago. The day you fell off the cliff when Naraku cornered you your own hearts call to sorrow, pain, hurt, and anger made a small string between you and those corners of darkness." Kikyo said._

"_But-" Shena gasped._

"_Through that string the darkness has a path to your heart and your soul. When you think upon some of your memoirs that makes your heart and soul bleed from sorrow the darkness jumps out and gives you energy. But we are humans this darkness is not made for us. It will kill you Shena if you ever let your guard down or depend on the shards too much. If you even come near corrupted shards the darkness will reach out and snuff your soul out like a flame." Kikyo put flatly. "But if you give me the shards that string will be broken and you will not be part of this battle anymore."_

"_But lady Kikyo you can't!" Shena shouted. "I can control it I swear!"_

"_What did you remember after you shot that arrow?" Kikyo said coolly._

_Shena didn't answer but clutch her shards on their sliver chain and stared at the ground._

"_What ever you saw caused your heart so much anger and pain that for a moment your shards turned darker. You were lucky your natural innocence is so strong or you wouldn't have been able to hold back the darkness." Kikyo said not letting her voice stray a single note. "Give me your shards before you get yourself killed. This isn't your fight."_

_Shena took a step back scared of what she was hearing. Kikyo knew how much these shards meant to her. She couldn't just take them because she thought she couldn't handle them. She had been handling them for 4 years. So what if Kikyo said she would die. She would die protecting what her family had given their lives for!_

"_I won't let you take them. Never." Shena whispered to the ground. Wiping around Shena tried to make a run for it but Kikyo jumped forward and grabbed her shoulder spinning her around forcing Shena to face her._

"_You can't run away Shena. No matter where you go you will always carry your memoirs and the darkness." Kikyo said trying to pull the sliver chain from Shena's neck intending to break it free._

"_No you can't!" Shena yelled. An image at that moment flooded her mind. It was the same image she had seen the first time she had shot her first spirit arrow causing her anger to burn bright. In a zap of pink light rimmed with darkness Kikyo broke away from Shena and took a few steps back._

_Falling the world swam into blackness as Shena fainted into the grass her mother bloody dying face still fresh in her mind._



"…The next thing I knew I was waking up to find Kagome leaning over me asking me if I was alright. A demon sword smith named Totosai had found me unconscious in the grass on a hill and took me to the only person he knew that could help me. And that was Kagome. And Kikyo hadn't taken my shards."

"A demon just found and took you away to get help." Naruto asked still a little shock at Shena's story.

"Just because someone has demon blood in them doesn't make them heartless. And in fact Totosai told Kagome that when he found me I woke up a little and told him to piss off. He said he just had to help me just to smite me after that. Totosai isn't really a bad person. He can be hard headed as hell and one major pain in the butt sometimes but he isn't a bad person. So are Inuyasha and Shippo and Inuyasha is only half demon."

Naruto shift uneasily on the dirt ground where he and Shena had collapsed near a crystal clear stream in the shade of a tree after them had magically detangled themselves from the forest. For the last past two hours Shena had been filling him in on her past.

"Umm…I have a few questions." Naruto said raising his hand. "One how can a jewel kill you? Two what is natural innocence? And three who the hell are Inuyasha, Shippo, and Totosai?"

Sighing Shena let her shoulder slump. "Natural innocence is easy to understand really. I'm surprised you don't know about it. When a baby is born it is given the gift of natural innocence…you know like childhood innocence. It protects the child till he or she is older from evil outside forces. Some children have stronger innocence then others but when one grows up the natural innocence fads because it is no longer needed. After I shot my first spirit arrow I could shoot any spirit arrow with out trouble if I just didn't think of something that invoked the shards darkness. So I don't need to use any innocence. Did you get that?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Umm I guess but I still don't know how a jewel can kill you."

"For the last time it is called the Shikon no Tama or Shikon jewels shards." Shena snapped. "And I'm getting to that part." Sighing Shena stretch and looked at Naruto. "You better make yourself comfortable this is going to be a long story."



"…Then I just had to go out and get some air and got attacked by Orchumour's sound ninja. And I guess you know the rest." Naruto finished up.

It had been several hours since Shena and Naruto began exchanging tales. The sun was low making their shadows long on the grass. After Shena had finished her long, long, long tale of Inuyasha, Kikyo, Kagome, and the Shikon no Tama Naruto had been very confused. Shena had to go or a large portion of the details twice before he could comprehend it all.

_I think I over loaded his brain._ Shena thought after ask for the fifth time how Kikyo could be dead and still teaching her at the same time and again she would have to recall the part of Kikyo's reincarnation.

After Naruto had finally grasped Shena's tale he in turn turned Shena's mind upside down as he lunged into his own tale. He started with his demonized birth then went all the way to Sasuke betrayal.

"If I hadn't still been weak form that fight I could have taken those Sound ninja with a hand tied behind my back." Naruto stated as he warped up his story.

Shena had listen soaking up ever detail noticing the hurt in Naruto tone when he spoke of Sasuke and his childhood. It was the same tone she used when she talked about her past.

_The same type of hurt._

"But you still haven't told me how you now about he Nine Tailed Fox." Naruto said erupting her thoughts.

"It…it was a legend Kikyo had told me when she was still teaching me. You remember that I talk about Inuyasha's father right?"

"Yay. Great powerful demon that died a long time ago…but what does that have to do with the Nine Tailed Fox?"

"A lot you pea brain. When Inuyasha father was still alive he had a whole group of nine different separate clans of demons fallowing under him. The Nine Tailed Fox was one of those demons. I fact he was the leader of the Fox demon clan. Each clan had a leader making nine leaders that all looked up to Inuyasha's father. When he died the clans broke up from one another and spread out but the nine clan leaders still held power over their own clan. A little over fifty years ago all of the nine clan leaders disappeared leaving their clans to fend for themselves for no apparent reason. And they were never seen or heard from again. The End" Shena finished.

"You mean they just got up and left?" Naruto asked.

"Yep and never heard from again. That is how I know about the Nine Tailed Fox."

After Shena had finished Naruto sat there in silence for a long time staring at the grass. It was not till both Shena's and Naruto's stomach growl loudly at the same time did they dislodge themselves from there thoughts.

"Oh and one more thing." Shena said placing a hand over her stomach. "You still own me supper as your new sensei."

"What! No way! You should be treating me to dinner. You almost got me killed" Naruto yelled.

Shena laughed and got to her feet. "How can I buy dinner if I don't have and money?" Shena said as she turned to walk to Kohona.

With a grumble Naruto followed.



Sakura turned the corner of the stairs she was walking up and opened the door that led to a hallway of apartment rooms. Turning right she walk slowly down the hallway till she came to a door she was looking for. Raising her hand Sakura rapped her knuckles on the door.

Inside there was a rustle of feet as someone got up and walked casually to the door. There was a click as the lock was pushed away and the door swung silently inward enough for a human head to be seen.

Kakashi stuck his head out and around the door with his usual mask get up on and stared down at Sakura with his usual normal one eye.

"Oh hello Sakura." Kakashi said friendly. "Need something?"

"Umm…well…I was wondering if you've seen Naruto Kakashi sensei . I haven't seen him since he came back from fighting…"Sakura trailed off as her eyes dimmed visibly as she stared at the ground refusing to make eye contact. "And that was days ago." Sakura continued lifting her head slightly. "The nurses at the hospital said he's been gone for five days now. He just got out of his bed and left."

Kakashi frowned as he stared at Sakura who still wouldn't make eye contact. "I'm sorry Sakura I haven't seen Naruto around lately." Sakura eyes dimmed more. "But I'm sure he is around somewhere. How about I go find him and give him a good talking to for making you worry." Kakashi gave Sakura a happy smile making the dimness slip from her eyes.

Looking up Sakura closed her eyes and gave him a small smile. "Thank you Kakashi sensei that would great." Turning Sakura began to make her way back to the stairs.

Opening the door all the way Kakashi stepped out silently into he hallway. "Sakura?" He called.

"Yes?" Sakura said stopping and turning around to face her sensei.

"Are you all right?" he asked simply.

Sakura gave him one of her most flawless perfect fake smiles. "Of course I'm okay." She said trying to make her voice sound cheerful. "Why do you ask?"

"Nothing. Never mind."

Kakashi watched Sakura till she turned the corner and out of sight. Sighing Kakashi pulled himself inside to door and closed it. After a bit of fumbling around his dirty apartment Kakashi found his shoes and slipped them on and after more searching found his keys and made his way to the door.

_Guess I better find out what Naruto is up to. _Kakashi thought. _Hope he hasn't gotten himself into trouble._



"Yep I've seen Naruto. He was in here just yesterday buying some food for a young lady." Ichiraku said pouring a steaming bowl of ramen and passing it over the counter to Kakashi.

"A young lady?"

"Yay they sat here for over three hours talking. Something about a giant black bird that the girl was looking for. Naruto seemed to now what she was talking about. Weird girl though." Ichiraku said.

"Weird?" Kakashi asked grabbing himself some chopsticks.

"Yay one minute the girl was whispering to him. The next she was yelling at him. In the end they seemed to make some sort of agreement and Naruto ran off and the girl headed that way." Ichiraku pointed to his right while her stirred something in a big pot. "It was a bit odd. Never seen the girl before but she could pack it away with the food."

Kakashi lay the tip of his chopsticks on the edge of his bowl. "Never seen the girl before huh? Was she wearing any type of identification like a head band or something?"

Ichiraku frowned and stared up at the ceiling pulling up the girl's face in his mind. "Nope none that I could see." He said after a minute. "Just a travelers cloak and quiver and bow over her shoulder."

"Hmmm." Kakashi looked down into his ramen bowl in thought. "You know I think I will have this to go." He said finally.



Even thought sometimes Shena instincts were wrong she never went against them. So when something in the back of her mind began to send up flares that it was time to make a quick get away as Naruto rummaged frantically around his pocket trying to find his keys to his apartment door that they stood outside of Shena decided it was time to leave.

Giving a fake yawn Shena stretched her arms. "You know what Naruto I'm beat so I'm just going to head back. At least I now where you live now."

"But I still need you to explain a few things. Like what kind of training I'm going to be doing…Ah Ha! Found them!" Naruto yelled triumphantly as he finally pulled his apartment keys from this pockets on a frog keychain and dangled it under Shena's nose.

"Listen just meet me by the gates tomorrow morning and we will go from there. And I've already been through one jungle today I think I'll pass on trying to get through another one." Shena said turning to leave. "She you latter shrimp."

"Hey!" Naruto yelled after her.

Hiding her smile Shena made her way around the nearest corner into an alley and flattened her back against the wall.

Peering around the corner Shena watched Naruto mumble something under his breath and push his key into the door. At that moment a sliver haired man with a headband like Naruto's pulled over one eye and the rest of his face covered except one eye with a mask wearing a green vest came around the corner in the alley over from Shena. Hailing Naruto the man caught the boy's attention who looked over and gave the man a huge friendly wave.

_That must be Kakashi. _Shena thought.

Stopping the man looked down at Naruto and apparently started a conversation. Naruto whipped out one of his smiles rubbing the back of his head as Shena watched unable to hear a word either were saying.

Suddenly Kakashi pulled out a box of some sort from behind his back and presented it to Naruto who grabbed it and waved it over his head. Shena could see it was ramen.

As Kakashi watched Naruto do his little dance waving around his ramen he suddenly looked up and stared straight at Shena.

Without even thinking Shena whipped her head around the corner and out of sight and made her way at a run down the alley and into the busy main lantern lit street.

Taking in one big breath of air Shena made her mind up quick and head as fast as she could in one direction. Then turning in an alley Shena headed in the opposite direction and made her way as fast as she could to the gate.



"You owe me for this Kakashi. Not only did I have to pick up someone's scent from the middle of an in use alley, but then had to fallow it into busy street only to turn around in another alley and go the opposite direction. And then out the gate, through some dark woods. Do you even now how many thorns I have in my fur…are you even listening to me?" Pakkun snapped as he rustled in the brush as he and Kakashi crouched hidden outside a slim cave entrance hidden in the hillside.

"Shhh!" Kakashi hissed as a small persons silhouette formed inside the cave entrance. Coming into the moonlight and out of the caves darkness a young girl stretched her arms to the sky and then down to her toes giving a huge yawn.

After a minute of rubbing the numbness out of her shoulders the girl walked up to a cold fire pit and after adding some twigs and poking around for hot cider had a roaring fire going in a couple of moments.

Sitting down the girl pulled her knees to her chest and laid her chin on her knee caps. Silently she stared into the fire the flames reflecting in her pale green eyes. Black long hair ran all the way to her hips pulled back in a braid. She wasn't very short but her extreme slimness made her seem much smaller then she looked. She didn't have a cloak on but only a short brown dress with and white ribbon tied around her waist. A bow and quiver lay at her side.

_She can't be older the thirteen._ Kakashi thought frowning as he watched the girl stare also frowning into the fire deep in thought. Suddenly the girls frown turned to a scowl and the girl rose to her feet and loaded an arrow onto her bow.

Taking aim at a near by tree the girl's eyes reflected fury as she drew the bow back with one hand and let it go. In a splay of pink sparks the arrow hit the tree dead on and burst through cracking the tree into two.

Shocked Kakashi watched as the girl just stood there and watched the tree crash to the ground. Reaching up she placed and hand in the middle of her chest and winced in pain then as the pain faded her face was replaced with a lost look. Hissing something under her breath that Kakashi couldn't hear the girl spat onto the dirt. Hitching up her quiver the girl turned ruthlessly kicked dirt into the fire to make it die down. Then she stormed into the cave's entrance and disappeared into the shadows.

"What in the world was that?" Pakkun asked moving away form the clearing.

"I don't know but I think I'm going to have a talk with the Hokage."



"Fox fire?"

"Yep it is the most simple basic fox demon attack and all fox demons can do it, even babies. I've seen Shippo do it a hundred times. It's easy, build up you energy in you hand aim at your target, think fire and let loose.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Positive."

"Then why are you up in that tree?" Naruto asked looking up at Shena who sat with her legs dangling over the edge of a thick tree limb.

"Well Naruto the Nine Tailed Fox isn't what you would call a average power demon. If you try fox fire you might burn down half the forest I'm merely being precautious."

"Then shouldn't we try to learn some control first? I think Hokage Tsunade would notice if half a forest went up in smoke."

"You need to do it first for us to begin trying to master it Baka. Just aim for that tree." Shena said pointing at a small tree opposite where she was sitting. "Once you unlock the ability we can start on control."

"Yay yay fine." Naruto mumbled aiming his hand at the tree. "Muster up you energy…think fire…FOX FIRE!!!" Naruto's yell ringed off the tree.

But nothing happened.

"Ok I can do this…FOX FIRE!!!"

Nothing.

"Maybe you're not using enough energy." Shena chimed in from her spot in the tree.

"Oh shut up!" Naruto yelled over his shoulder. "FOX FIRE!!! FOX FIRE!!! FOX FIRE!!!!!"

Yep you guessed it _nothing_.

"Stop, stop, stop." Shena said. "Stop, all you're doing is scaring away the little animals and braking my ear drums." Jumping down Shena landed on the ground and walked up to Naruto. "You must be doing something wrong."

"If you're such and expert why not you do it." Naruto snapped.

"Hello! Not demon or have any demon powers. How in the hell do you expect me to do it." Shena said grabbing Naruto's wrist and examined his hand that he was using. "Anyways" She said letting his wrist drop. "I think I know what the problem is."

"And what would that be?" Naruto asked.

"You're not building up any demon energy." Shena said triumphantly. "Trying to do Fox Fire without any demon energy is like trying to shot a arrow without a bow. You might be building up energy but it isn't your demon energy. It's your human energy. Understand?"

"Ummm…yay I guess I do." Naruto said rubbing the back of his head.

Sighing Shena grabbed Naruto shoulder and made him face the tree the again. "Here the best way to build up or invoke energy of any kind is through emotions. Think of something that make you angry, channel that, and fire. It's that simple."

"Easy for you to say." Naruto mumbled as Shena took quite a few steps back.

_Ok Naruto. _He thought. _Think of something that makes you angry. Channel it. And…_ "FOX FIRE!!!"

This time red glowing fire erupted form the seal on Naruto stomach and moved up his chest down his arm and out of the palm of his hand in a ball of red flame. Instead of being blue like Shena had expected the fire was blood red. Catching the tree in front of him in a blaze of fire she watch as the tree burned down to an ashy stump.

But something was wrong.

As soon as the fire died out in a few seconds Naruto breathing was hard and he was clutching his head in his hands.

"Naruto are you alright?" Shena asked laying a hand on his shoulder.

Naruto turned and took a long swing at Shena's head. Ducking Shena dodged his blow as she got a glimpse of his eyes.

They were red with a diamond shaped pupil. Thinking quickly Shena lunged at Naruto missing his second swing and slammed her knuckles into a presser point in his neck. With a gasp Naruto's eyes rolled up and his eye lids rolled down as he fell unconscious to the ground.

This was a move Sango had taught her when she was still traveling with the group.

After a moment of shock that her attack had work Shena bent down and looked over Naruto.

"I guess it isn't as simple as I thought." She mumbled.



Taking a sip of her water Shena pulled the glass form her lips and sat it down on the table. Sighing Shena looked around Naruto's small apartment for the fifth time.

She sat at the table located in the middle of the kitchen. Form the kitchen there were three doors. On led to Naruto's room where he was snoring blissfully in his bed. Another one led to a bathroom while the third led outside into the warm air. Shena boots lay next to the outside door while her cloak hung over one of the kitchen table's chairs.

_I still can't believe I got all the way here with out anyone stopping me._ Shena thought.

After she had knocked Naruto out she had somehow gotten him on her back and miraculously dragged him back to his house where after a bit of fumbling around in his pockets found his keys and dragged him inside and dropped him onto his bed where she left him. And all the way here she didn't get stopped once to ask why she had a orange unconscious ninja over on her back.

_And the shrimp is a lot heavier then he looks._ Shena thought rubbing her shoulder. Sighing Shena leaned back into her chair and looked over at Naruto's closed door.

_Better go see if he's awake yet_. Shena thought getting up from her chair. As an after thought Shena reach up her sleeve and pulled free a kunai. _Just in case she thought._

Walking up to the door Shena held the kunai ready and placed her hand on the door knob. Suddenly the door that led outside swung outward and Kakashi came walking in.

"Naruto I-" Looking up the man stopped seeing Shena kunai in one hand and other on the door knob leading to Naruto's room. For a second they stared at each other in shock.

_Oh shit…_

Ripping her hand off the door knob Shena dropped the Kunai and grabbed one of the kitchen table's chairs and hurled it over the table at Kakashi.

Zipping side ways the man dodged it as she used the opportunity to dive into Naruto's room slamming the door shut behind her.

Naruto still sat sleeping like a log where Shena had piled him up on the bed his snores filling the room. Quickly Shena looked for a way to escape.

Over Naruto's bed were two windows. They were about two stories up and the window looked just big enough to jump through.

Running over the room Shena jumped onto the bed not even waking up Naruto slide the window open and stared out. With a crash the bedroom door flew open and Kakashi came charging in with a kunai in hand.

"Stop!" He yelled.

Not listening to him Shena closed her eye and jumped out the window.

Reaching up Shena hand caught a clothes line that ran form a window to a pulley that was imbedded in the opposite wall. Because the rope wasn't made to take Shena's weight held for a moment then snapped a candy cane letting Shena swing to the ground.

Catching the earth with her feet Shena bent her knees and dived into a frontward roll to diffuse the impact.

Standing quite uneasily on her feet Shena wobbled around as her legs screamed in pain and protest at such death defying activity.

After she finally got her legs underneath her Shena looked up and stared at Kakashi who was looking down and her from Naruto's window. Giving him a wicked smile Shena flipped him the bird and turned to make her get away.

A small gasp escaped her lips as she felt a sharp poke at the base of her neck

Before she went unconscious she was able to look over her shoulder at a second Kakashi identical to the first who held up blue chakra glowing fingers looking at her with a bored expression on his face or at least the part of his face she could see.

_Oh crap…_

Then she silently fell out cold onto the dirt ground.


	8. The reason I hate jail cells

Hello me again.

I just have few thing to say before we get stared.

One. I know I have said this like five times already but if you haven't been paying attention then you really need to because let me say it again. **Shena knows Inuyasha and the gang personally.**

Two. Because I needed time to build up Shena's past I stretched the time between when Kikyo was reincarnated and the time which I am writing in right now (about a little before Naraku took his second form) from a year to about five years. (Yes I know how could that happen, but come on and give me a brake I did say that this had some AUish twists didn't I.)

I don't own Naruto (oops I forgot to do this last chapter) but I Shena is my OC so hands off.

Now onward to the chapter



Chapter Eight

The reason I hate jail cells



"_Wanted. You girl going by the name Shena. About four foot nine, weighing around 100 pounds. Last seen in Tiesee village wearing a short brown dress and white bow around the waist. Black hair and green eyes, carrying a quiver and bow. Wanted for theft, questioning, and suspicions of being with the sound by the Land of Lighting. Know to be armed, dangerous, and cunning_…You must be kidding." Tsunade said laying the piece of brown paper with a rough sketch of girl's face that Kakashi had brought in over his shoulder a few hours ago on it. "Armed and dangerous, she can't be older then Naruto!"

"I know it sounds a little far fetched Lady Hokage but it seems that that is the source of info we can dig up on the child." Ibiki said over the Hokage's desk. "The girl is a mystery."

"A loud cussing mystery." Kakashi said dully scratching the back of his head. "Lady Hokage I'm might not know who she is but it is clear she didn't want to get caught. I mean she did throw herself out of a window two stories up just to escape."

"I believe Kakashi is right Lady Hokage." Gai piped in. "The girl seemed determined not to get caught."

"I wouldn't put it pass Orochimaru to take in a child and but her to work either Tsunade." Jiraiya said from his chair. "I mean he has taken in young ones before. And just think about it. You know he wants Naruto dead especially now he has Sasuke and doesn't want Nartuo to fall into the Akatsuki hands. What a better way then have a young pretty girl come into his life get close to him under our noses and then slit his throat in his sleep. Sounds like something he would concoct."

Sighing Tsunade folded her hands under he chin and closed her eye to block out the vision of the four men in her office.

Kakashi was there for obvious reasons. Ibiki was there because he was the best interrupter they had to find information on and talk information out of the girl. Jiraiya was there because he had decided to suddenly pop up just minutes before Kakashi arrived. And Gai was only there because he had seen Kakashi carrying the girl over his shoulder to the Hokage's office and decided to follow.

_Just what I needed. _ She thought bitterly. _Another problem on my hands. Not only is Sasuke vanished and indefinitely gone to Orochimaru. But now we have a girl caught red handed entering Naruto's room with a kunai in her hand but also 'Wanted…for suspicions of being with the sound'! How could this get any worse?"_

"Lady Hokage…" Ibiki started pulling Tsunade out of her thoughts.

Raising a hand she stopped him. "We need to know who she is and what she is doing here. Talk to her and try to get some information out of her but don't lay a finger on her unless you have solid _proof_ she is with the sound. Understand?"

"Yes Lady Hokage." Ibiki stated.

"Then go." Tsunade commanded with a wave of her hand and Ibiki disappeared into a poof of smoke.

"Kakashi, Gai go find Naruto and bring him here I need to speak with him." Tsunade commanded two of there men left in the room.

"Yes Lady Hokage." They both said at the same time and like Ibiki vanished into a poof of white smoke leaving only Jiyara and Tsunade in the room.

Sighing deeply Tsunade laid back in her chair and rubbed her temples with her hands. "When did things get so complicated Jiyara? It used to just be war and not unknown children popping up trying to kill people."

"Don't look at me. It's not like I know. But I'll tell you this I have a bad feeling about this. I don't know what it is but something seems wrong about this whole thing. It's just a feeling I can't seem to shake.

Sighing yet again Tsunade grabbed a liquor bottle off of her desk and took a swig. "You and me both Jiyara." She said after she swallowed and placed the bottle back onto her desk. "You and me both."



Five stories under Tsunade's office lay an under ground passageway. A long white hallway led from a staircase that twisted up to the surface, it's entrance hidden in the wall. Then from the staircase the hallway stretched 20 feet till it came to an iron door that had an eye slot to see through. Two guards stood dreary eyed at the door bored senseless.

Startled the snapped to attention when Ibiki suddenly materialized out of thin air in a cloud of white smoke in front of them

"Report." He demanded.

"The girl is awake sir. She's been awake for about an hour now. She doesn't seem to be in a good mood." One of the guards said as his partner stayed quite.

"Good mood?" Ibiki repeated.

Silently the same guard that had spoken reach up and pulled the eye slot back letting the young prisoners voice flow through.

"-ou weak livered pig faced motherfu-" Quickly the guard shoved the slot shut cutting the girls voice off.

"She's been like that since she woke up." The guard stated. "And still hasn't given up."

"Has all her weapons been taken away?" Ibiki asked seeming not phased by what he had heard through the eye slot.

"Yes sir. She didn't have much, just a few kunai, her bow and arrows, plus the stuff she had in her pack…but…" The guard trailed off giving his silent partner who hadn't spoken yet a look.

"But?" Ibiki demanded.

"She has some sort of weird necklace around her neck that is hidden just under the neckline of her dress sir." The second guard finally spoke up. "I tried to take them off sir but…" Holding up his hand the guard removed his black glove and showed his slightly burned hand. "But as soon as I touched the chain I got burned and so we had to leave them on."

Without speaking Ibiki watched as the guard pulled his glove back on. Walking forward he placed his hand on the door handle and gave commands to the guards.

"When you hear three knock open the door." And then casually walked into Shena's jail cell.



A 'bad mood' wouldn't have been the way Shena would have described how she was feeling when she woke up to find herself in a windowless room with the only way to the outside world being an iron door in one wall and a small circler vent in the ceiling.

Pissed off would have been a good way to put it. But enraged from the bottomless scorching low levels of dark hell would have been a much better way to describe her 'bad mood'.

"LET ME OUT OF HERE YOU BASTARDS!!!!"

If you couldn't tell.

Not only had Shena woken up in a tiled room which only two colors were the white of the walls, floor, and ceiling and the black iron of the door with no handle the blocked her hope of and an easy escape, but she had woken up to find herself suspended in the mid air.

No they couldn't have just tied her to a chair or something a be civil people, they had to chain her with iron shackles. One pair curved around her wrist with a chain that connected to a iron ring imbedded in the ceiling. While the other pair locked around her ankles running down to a second ring in the floor . This caused Shena to hang in the air with out anyway to move around.

She woke up to find all her weapons gone, herself hanging in the air, and a headache out of this world raging inside her head.

She was really far from being merely pissed off.

Taking in a big breath of air Shena prepared herself for another cussing barrage at the door when it suddenly opened letting a single man walk in. Half choking half gagging Shena swallowed down her words and glared at the man with a furious fire glowing deep in her eyes.

His face had two long scars on it giving him a tough look. He wore a bandana around his head and also wore one of those headbands that all the ninja seemed to wear. A solid black cloak reached all the way to his knees making him look even more menacing.

For a while he just stood there making a string of silence between him and Shena till she began to feel uncomfortable. Instead of either speaking Ibiki stood and watched her while Shena glared immortal death his way. For the first time in two hours she stayed quite.

"You don't seem to like your predicament at the moment." He said finally braking the silence and making the hairs on the back of Shena neck stand up.

_I believe this is someone I don't want to tangle with._ She thought and continued to glare at the lone man in the room.

"My name is Morino Ibiki." He said after another long silence in the most emotionless same note tone Shena had ever heard.

Shena still didn't respond.

"Its custom here that when you tell some one their name you in return are to tell them yours." Ibiki said moving around the room a little but not out of Shena's sight. "Are you going to sit there and just glare at me or are you going to stop acting like a spoiled scared child and talk before I have to shove needles into your arm."

Ever muscle in Shena's body tensed and a drop of sweat formed on her brow but she still didn't open her mouth.

"How about we start with something simple?" Ibiki said planting himself before Shena. "What your name, is that simple enough?" Shena made no motion to speak. "I guess not-"

"My name is Shena." Shena said coldly staring Ibiki dead in the face. She was really being to hate this guy.

"Shena…that's all? No last name?"

Silence.

"Where did you come form Shena? Where's your home?" He asked urging her to continue talking.

"North." She spat out.

For a while Ibiki didn't respond. "Do you know Uzamuki Naruto?" he asked at last turning his back on Shena.

"Yes." She said simply. If she could just give him the must simple or answers maybe she could swing this all into her favor if she played her cards right.

"And how do you know him?" Ibiki asked.

"Helped him with some sound ninja." Shena said after a moment.

Turning his head over his shoulder Ibiki gave her a look she couldn't quite identify that creped the living hell out of her and then continued to pace with his back to her.

"Do you know who Orochimaru is?"

_That's the man Naruto told me about. The creepy snake guy. _Shena thought. "No" She said finally.

Ibiki snapped around so fast that Shena knew she had made a mistake. Planting himself right in front of her Ibiki stared her down till all Shena wanted to was disappear away from him.

"You're lying." He said coldly.

For a moment she panicked. Then forcing her nerves down Shena calmed her mind. "And how do you know that?" She retorted fiercely trying to make up for lost ground. So much for swing it her way.

"When a person lies their heart rate accelerates. With a special jutsu that I invited I can tune my ears in on a person heartbeat. So when they lie I know it." Ibiki stated in his coldest voice yet. "Also when someone gets nervous their heart rate goes up. Just like yours is doing right now." He finished narrowing his eyes dangerously. "How do you know Orochimaru?"

_Easy Shena easy. He hasn't cornered you just yet. All you have to do is play with the truth and keep calm._ "I don't know him. Naruto told me about him." Shena said forcing all her nerves down.

"And why would he tell you that?" Ibiki countered.

For a while Shena didn't say anything in response .

"Because he's my friend." She said at last. Braking eye contact Shena stared at Ibiki's boots in silence.

Moment passed into minutes without either speaking. Suddenly Ibiki turned and walked to the door. Raping his knuckle on it three times the door opened and he let himself out.

_Naruto's my friend…_ Shena thought to the emptiness of the room.



"_Because he's my friend?" _Tsunade repeated back up in her office starring at Ibiki over her desk. "That was her answer?"

"Not only does seem to know Naruto but also she seems to consider him an ally." Ibiki reported "Lady Hokage if I may speak freely…"

"Go ahead." Tsunade said with a wave of her hand.

"I think the girl is more then meets the eye. She comes in here with very little weapons or supplies, which is bizarre at best. She carries a necklace around her neck that slightly burns anyone that tries to touch it when she is unconscious. She's wild and unpredictable and half scared out of her mind about what has happened to her. I don't think she's sound in the slightest. I think the only reason that wanted poster says 'suspicions of being with the sound' is because someone is to embarrassed that a merely non-ninja girl flew out of their defenses like they weren't there."

"That's a good theory, but it still doesn't solve the problem. We don't know how she really is yet and if I don't know that I can't allow you to use more stressful ways to interrogation. Or let her free." Tsunade said her hands folded under her chin.

Suddenly the door to her office flew wide and an orange ninja came charging in.

"This better be good grandma Tsunade. I was right in the middle of training and-" Naruto dropped short when he opened his blue eyes to finally see Ibiki standing in the room. _Oh god! It's that creepy test guy from the chunnin exams. _Naruto thought panicking out. _What is he doing here?!_

With a wave of her hand Tsunade dismissed Ibiki who turned and walked out of the door Naruto had left wide open and closed it behind him.

"Why don't you sit down Naruto. You must be tired form your training." Tsunade said giving him a warm smile waving to the empty chair in front of her desk.

"Umm did I do something wrong.?" Naruto asked eyeing the woman strangely.

"No of course not. Why would you ask that?" Tsunade said cheerfully giving him yet another warm smile.

"Because you're never this nice to me." Naruto answered not taking Tsunade offer to sit.

"Oh just sit down you numbskull." Tsunade snapped her cheerfulness gone completely and eye left eye twitching dangerously.

Complying Naruto flopped down into the chair Tsunade had indicated and place his hands behind his head. "So what do you want, Grandma?" He said

Tsunade didn't answer but studied his face and clothes. They were dirty like they hadn't been washed in days. He even had smudges of dirt on his face. "You've been looking for Sasuke haven't you?" She asked at last.

Naruto shifted his eye still he was staring at the corners of Tsunade's desk and didn't respond.

He had been looking for someone it just wasn't Sasuke. Naruto had woken up in his apartment on his bed with Shena nowhere in sight. Getting up Naruto had gone searching for her. He had looked in the woods and all over town, and every other place he could think of but still didn't find her. In fact he been looking for her when Kakashi and Gai suddenly appeared and told him the Hokage wanted to speak to him. It was like the girl had just vanished.

"What does it matter what I've been doing." Naruto said to the corner of Tsunade's desk.

Frowning Tsunade watch him for a moment then rummaged around on her desk till she found what she was looking for. Pulling it up for Naruto to see Tsunade looked at him with one of her rare dead serious faces. "Naruto." Tsunade said. "Have you seen this girl?"

Holding up Shena's wanted poster made Naruto finally shift his gaze back. For a moment Naruto stared at it as though he didn't understand what Shena's face was doing on it.

"_Don't tell any one that you saw me. Okay Naruto?"_

"_Huh why do I not have to tell anyone?" Naruto asked Shena over his bowl of ramen and Irchriku's ramen bar._

"_I prefer to keep a low profile." Shena said not turning to him her voice low. "It just make thing a lot easier for everyone if I melt into the background._

"Well have you seen her." Tsunade asked again pulling Naruto out of his memories.

After a minute of silence Naruto mumbled a "No never seen her." To Tsunade.

Silence stretched into minutes while Naruto rubbed the back of his head and Tsunade watched him as though she was trying to understand what he was thinking with a serious look on her face.

With a wave of her hand Tsunade dismissed him. "Fine go back to your training Naruto and stay out of trouble."



Shena gasped for air making her raw throat hurt even more. She had been shrieking curses at the door for hours making no difference at all to her situation but only causing her voice to go harsh making her have to stop.

Letting her body slump so only the chains held her up Shena closed her eyes.

She needed to think. Right now her mind was her best weapon. She needed to not allow her mind to wonder. If she did that then she would just get angry at her predicament and that would lead to no good.

No she had to think of good things. She had to make a plan

She already knew there was no way out of her small square room. One she couldn't melt the chains that held her because her melting spell only worked on brass where her restraints were iron. Two was that even if she could melt the chains there was nowhere to go. She wouldn't have enough energy to melt the door which she couldn't anyways because it to wasn't brass and even if she could get out of the chains and out the door she didn't know how many guards she would have to go through to get to safety. And three just to top it all off she had very little energy to begin with.

Even now she was fighting off the effects of some sort of drug they had put it her system when she was out. She felt really sleepy and defocused so even when she tried to focus her energy she failed at it miserably.

There was no way she was getting out of here on her own.

_If only Inuyasha and the gang where here._ Shena thought dully. _They'd have me out of here in no time…_ Shena imagined Sango wiping out ninja with her Hiraikotsu and all the ninja running in fright as Kirara took her larger fighting form. She almost laughed out loud when she pictured Kakashi getting smashed under one of Shippo's spinning tops.

Shena had to admit it. She really did miss them.

What had it been sense see had last seen them…a little over half a year, maybe?

Shena remembered the moment she was on her feet after Kagome had healed her back to health. Inuyasha was trying to make her give him her shards, even went all the way and became all serious on her.

Well till she called him a smelly mutt then he just yelled at her and Shena yelled back insults flying. That ended with Kagome yelling at Inuyasha to sit and then yelled at him for picking on a injured little girl.

But Inuyasha wasn't the only one who tired to talk her out of her shards. The whole gang had tired, but when they realized she wouldn't let them up they just stopped trying and let her join the gang. It still didn't stop Inuyasha from trying to garb her shards when she was sleeping. It never really worked.

For half a year Shena walked with them as a member of their group. She was included in their adventures and their battles in the fight against Naraku as one of the gang.

She remembered her countless fights with Inuyasha, which would always end with Kagome yelling sit and giving Inuyasha a ear full of the wrongs of picking a fight with a young innocent girl.

She remembered laughing a Miroku as he walked around with a red hand print on his face where Sango had slapped him for something perverted he had done.

She remembered little Shippo and his mean comments to Inuyasha on his outfit (which most of the time Shena would agree with him) to him being half demon, which always made Shena have a inner laugh till Inuyasha kicked Shippo off into some tree somewhere.

Those memories were the ones she most held dear to her. They were a time when she free and surrounded by friends even though she was cold to them sometimes. It was because of the gang Shena hadn't lost herself in her own gloom. They helped her become the person she was now.

Shena sighed deeply. They were her friends, she did admit that, and she missed the badly.

"_Don't get yourself killed." _That was what Inuyasha had told her the night see left. The night where she packed her bags in the middle of the night and walked away from the gang leaving them behind in the inn they had stopped at for the night…

_**Half a year ago**_

_Sliding the door open Shena steeped out of her room and walked to the front gate not making a sound to wake the others form their slumber. She had her pack on her back filled with all her stuff._

_That afternoon had been the first time Shena had seen Kikyo since her betrayal._

_They had been walking like it was a average every other day. Kagome was yelling at Inuyasha about her bike, which she said Inuyasha had accidental bent. Coming to a pass with high cliffs on each side they were about to pass through when Inuyasha stopped dead and looked up._

_Looking up he drew all their attention to the top of one of the cliffs on the right side._

_And there she was. Kikyo_

_She just stood there no saying a word but just watch everyone with the wind pulling at her hair and clothes. Her dark eyes moved from each of the gang till they rested on Shena. Their eyes locked and goose bumps formed on Shena's arms making her shiver._

"_Inuyasha." She said in the most hollow tone. "You should have take away her shards by now. Or do you wish to have her kill again." Then she turned and walked away disappearing over the cliffs edge._

_The encounter didn't last more then five minutes._

_Inuyasha made a move to follow her but stopped and looked back at Kagome who was staring at the ground her eyes dim._

"_It's okay Inuyasha you can go after her." Kagome said in a low tone not raising her eyes._

"_Kagome…" Inuyasha started but he stopped and stood watching her. Then he turned and jumped up the cliff face and over the top._

_Seeing the hurt in Kagome's eye made Shena want to ring Kikyo neck._

"_Shena you ok?" Sango said placing a had on her shoulder making her realize she was still shaking like a leaf in the wind._

"_I'm fine." She replied automatically. But she wasn't fine even if she forced herself to stop shaking. Kikyo's words had hit a major cord. 'You should have take away her shards by now.' Those words opened up the memories of Kikyo Shena had tried to hard to push away. It was like Kikyo had took the platform Shena had been building her new life on and ripped it out from underneath her._

_By the time Inuyasha reappeared two hours later Shena had already made up her mind. She was going to leave the gang. She needed to be by herself._

_When Shena got to the gates that night Inuyasha was there waiting for her._

_For a moment they watched each other not saying a word. Then Shena just walked passed him and through the gate not looking back and still Inuyasha didn't say anything._

_But when her foot hit the ground out side the gate Inuyasha's voice rose up behind her without either of them turning around._

"_Don't get yourself killed."_

_Shena stopped standing still and looking at the ground._

"_I won't." She said at last raising her head and then continued to walk into the night leaving her only friends behind…_

That had been over half a year ago.

Shaking her head Shena pushed the memoirs back and fought away the darkness that was beginning to leak into her mind as she remembered her past.

_I need to calm down._ Shena thought.

Opening her mouth Shena did the only thing the only thing she could think of doing to calm her self down.

Singing

Her mother used to sing to her when she was still alive and now Shena sung to herself to fight off her own depression.

She chose a lullaby her mother had taught her when she was still very young and filled the small room with her voice.

"Over the valley filled flowers." Shena sung to herself making the whole world slip away. The song had a slow rhythm making it even more beautiful. It was Shena's favorite song because it brought back good memories of her mother. Finishing the fifth verse Shena let her voice fad into the air.

Sighing Shena opened her eyes and looked around the room that surrounded her.

"Shena? Is that you?" A single male voice came out the ceiling vent starling the daylights out of her.

_Wait a minute…_ Shena thought. _I know that voice…_

"Miroku?"




	9. About damn time you got here

What did he look like

What did he look like? A packhorse?

Cursing under his breath Miruko shifted the weight of the shopping bags crammed into his arms missing terribly the simple easy weight of his staff. But of course his staff was gone, taken away to avoid suspicion as he walked down one crowded street after another crowded street buying a never ending supply of things Kagome had written out on a very long piece of paper with the last of their money. Cursing vividly the monk moved the bag full of food to the left of his arms swerving to miss the wooden wall of the back alley he was trying to move down without crashing and burning.

Now all he had to do was get to the gate, get back to the camp, and he could finally abandon his load and make an oath never to do grocery shopping again. _Ever._

Sighing Miruko stopped to catch his breath slumping down and leaning his back against the nice cool wood wall of the alley. Some might say he was being a wimp and even he had to emit he'd done worse, but right now he was bone tired and down right fed up with this _new world._

Everything here was wrong. Inuyasha couldn't walk around in plain human sight with out either a.) getting shot at, or b.) causing mass panic. Humans walked around completely oblivious that just a few miles north over a few mountains lay hundreds of demons that either didn't know they were there or just didn't care. There was no Shikon no Tama. There were no demons. There was nothing but ninja, after ninja, after ninja. And to top it all off there was no sign of a crow demon running around with a sword of mass destruction.

From the moment they got here all they have been doing is running for their lives.

Moaning Miruko got on his sandaled feet made his way to the end of the alley. Turning the corner Miruko stopped one foot posed in the air before lowering it cursing again under his breath. Before him stood a dead end with a 20-foot high stone wall on one side and a small cluster of mid-calf shrubs on the other going left till they ended at wood planked fence.

Realizing he must have made a wrong turn, Miruko turned around ready to make his way back to the main street.

It was at that moment by the act of some watching god he heard it.

Rising forms plants came a muffled low toned voice sing an old lullaby, an old lullaby from his world. The words were muffled but the rhyme was unmistakable, dipping and raising as someone formed the song called 'valley of stars'

'_Who in the world would know that song, here on this side of the mountains' _Miruko thought placing the bags on the ground and venturing into the shrubs looking around for the source of the voice.

Bashing his toes against something defiantly metal from the resounding ring, the monk looked down to the dark leaves below. Leaning down and brushing the leaves away Miruko found a precisely hidden circler vent a foot and a half in diameter coming a foot out of the solid dirt ground.

Straitening up Miruko gave the vents lid three hard precise kicks till the lid flipped off with a metallic pop letting the voice below fill through without anything to block it. It was still low and very hard to hear, making it a miracle on itself that he had even heard the sound in the first place.

Suddenly the song ended followed by a loud sigh and a few choice words.

Miruko stood eyes wide at the pipe, he knew that voice, he knew that song, he knew the girl who had once said it was her favorite around a glowing campfire, giving untrusting glance to the people that surrounded her.

_It couldn't be….could it? _Miruko thought.

"Shena?" Miruko finally called down the vent or pipe or what ever it was. "Is that you?"



'Miruko?" Shena gasped looking around the room for any sign of the monk in a state of utter bewilderment. "Where the hell are you?"

"I'm talking down some sort of vent." Miruko responded drawing her attention to the ceiling. "What the hell are you doing here, Shena?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe looking for a crazed demon with a sword and getting my ass handed to me, while in the mean till getting thrown into the damn windowless room for no reason what so ever other then a simple misunderstanding. By the way how's the weather up there?" Shena snapped sarcasm dripping from her tongue.

"No I mean why are you here as in on the other side of the mountains…wait, how do you know about sword?"

"Totosai may be old and he does smell but he can be ever helpful with the info."

"Inuyasha's going to kill that man when he finds out he told you."

"Well he did tell you _before_ he told me. And I can take care of my self. I'm not a child."

"Still…Kagome going to flip when she finds out you were hunting down that demon-"

"Her name is Hayaloula."

"Hay- wait you've seen her."

"Seen her, fought her, almost died too. Oh and by the way Miruko don't worry, I'm bleeding to death or in anyway of discomfort down here. No need to worry at all." Shena said, dropping the hint of _'_get me the hell out of here'.

"Where are you?" Miruko deadpanned going serious.

"I'm in some sort of room. No windows, only a iron door, no handle, and since no guards have not come rushing in to see who I'm talking to, my theory is right and it's probably sound proof. Your voice is coming through a ventilation shaft in the ceiling about two feet away." Shena responded.

"You're tie up aren't you?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"You are always tied up when you get captured." Miruko said a like tease in his voice.

"You make it sound like I cap…_restrained_ a lot."

"That's because you do Shena."

"Oh shut up." Shena snapped. "And I'm chained up not tied up, hands and feet."

"Great." Miruko cursed followed by silence.

"So where is every buddy else?" Shena asked breaking the silence.

"Every buddy is out side the gate at our camp. We've got to be cautious. These people don't seem very demon notified." Miruko said

"I noticed."

"So what did you do?"

"I didn't do anything!" Shena snapped. Giving a quick glance to the door she continued. "And as good as it is to just sit here and talk I would love to _get the hell out of here._"

"Wait here-"

"Like I have a choice."

"I'll go get the others. Be back soon." And with that he was gone.



It was ironic really. Cursing for hours on end and damning ever thing, especial that Ibiki, to hell with out a glimpse of a way out of her predicament that didn't evolve a.) Dieing or b.) Losing her hand and feet. _A__nd I stop cussing for one minute and tada I get saved. Man some god must be trying to send me a message. I just wish what ever God would make Miruko hurry up. And once I get out of here I'm so going to kick Naruto's ass. He all his fault I'm in here. _Shena thought in her head.

"Yay right." Shena said rolling her eyes at herself. "I'm the reason I'm in here. I must be freaking cursed. I shouldn't have been so fucking careless." _And there I go cussing again. _Shena thought. _Man Hayaloula was right I do have a bad mouth. I swear if Inuyasha and the others can get me out of this I will never cuss again. Damn it my foot is going to sleep._

"Shena are you there?" Miruko voice flowed down the vent.

"What the hell took you so long! Damn it!" Biting her lip Shena sent a look to the iron door ready for it to open any moment. It didn't. _Damn that thing must very well sound proofed._ Shena tought.

"You haven't change." A new voice said. "Still one big baby cussing hot head."

"Who you calling a hot head, Inuyasha, you dog breath." Shena hissed back.

"Why you-"

"Sit boy!"

A long thud could be heard above followed a few choice words and an "I'm not a damn dog woman!" muffled by what Shena figured as a mouthful of dirt.

"This isn't the time to be picking stupid fights." Kagome scolded. "Oh Shena are you alright?" She asked her voice shifting tones in a matter of seconds.

"You're not hurt are you?" Sango voice asked making Shena thank the gods.

It must be luck. Sheer damn luck that she was finding a way out of this situation. And to top it all off she'd found Inuyasha and Kagome and everyone else. Maybe she wasn't cursed after all.

"No I'm not hurt." Shena said relief pouring off with every word. _Just get me the hell out of here. _Her inner self yelled wanted to break her restraints in two. "But I would love the get out of here."

A long silence came from above.

**PING! PONG! THUD!**

_What the…_

With out warning a fury mass of brown fur came crashing out of the vent and twirled to the ground, a thin rope wrapped around its waist stopping it from hitting face first onto the ground with a sharp jerk. Shippo, the tiny little fox demon of the group, swung back froth upside down suspended mere inches of the ground dizzy eyed.

_Hell?_

"Ahh…Shippo is that you?"

Shaking his head Shippo snapped out of his dizzy spell and flipped himself upright giving the rope a hard tug, which in turn lowered him slowly to the ground. Turning in 360 circle Shippo viewed the room till his eyes landed on Shena.

Screaming out a cry of shear joy Shippo, launched himself into the air, and captured Shena's neck in his arms.

"Shippo…air…I need…air."

Releasing her from his chokehold, Shippo whirled into her face crying and balling, "Why did you leave Shena? I dangerous out their by yourself, you could have gotten yourself killed. Was it something I said that made you leave? Inuyasha said you were being selfish, but-"

"Shippo enough!" Shena yelled stopping him. "I didn't leave because of you. You didn't have anything to do with it! Stop babbling!" Shippo sniffled at this and Shena reeled in her anger. "And Inuyasha is an ass, don't listen to anything he sasy. I left because I felt like leaving."

"But Naraku could have found you and killed you. And what about Kikyo she wants to take away your shards. What if she tired to kill you to get them, and-''

Shena hissed through her teeth stating her anger at those two name. Shippo decide now was not the time to mention Kikyo nor Naraku. It tended to be a sore subject ever since they had saved Shena a year and a half ago. God she could be so bitter at times.

"I just want you to know everyone moped for days after you left. Sango wanted to go look for you but Inuyasha wouldn't let her."

Shena wanted to yell at him but then remembered her predicament. _Right guards outside the door, still tied up. _"Shippo what do you got to brake me out of here?"

Releasing his hold on Shena's neck Shippo tumbled to the ground landing cleanly on his feet. Rummaging around in his clothes Shippo finally pulled out a thumbed sized vile filled with green liquid. Fastened around the top was a piece of paper, sealing script written all over it.

"Shippo what the hell is that?"

"Toad demon salvia. This stuff can burn through shear iron. That's why it's in this protective sealed bottle so it can't burn a hole through it."

"Where the hell did you- wait I don't want to know. Just get me out of here."

Jumping like the little demon fox he is, Shippo jumped right on top of Shena's head and climbed up to where her hand retrains met the chains.

"No Shippo you idiot do the legs first."

To late. With on shift moment Shippo pulled the lid free of its bottle and quickly poured the green liquid onto the chains. I seconds the stuff had chewed all the way through the metal and with one nasty curse Shena fell to the floor landing on her already sore rear end.

"Opps."

Hissing Shena simply ordered Shippo detach her leg from the chains and shakily got to her feet once he was done. But she knew she wasn't out of the woods yet. One her hands were still cuffed and they couldn't use the salvia to burn those away for fear of removing her hands from her arms. And two she was still in this dismal room with no way out.

"Ok Shippo what now."

"Easy climb up the rope." Shippo stated swing back a forth on the said rope.

"Shippo slight problem." Shena said shaking her hands around in cuffs making them jingle. "How am I suppose to climb up, and two I will never fit up that." She stated pointing to the vent.

"Umm…I'll be right back." And with that the little fox vanished up the rope.

_Damn it I'm doomed._



"Miruko this is the_ dumbest _dumb, down right_ stupid_, idea you have ever came up with. I'm not going to fit."

"Just calm down Shena-"

"I am calm" Shena hissed.

"No your not-"

"Would you be calm if you were being pulled up out of the room probably twenty feet under ground trough a air vent, that you are to big to fit up anyways, with a rope tied around your waist. I think not." She snapped glaring up the vent even though she knew Miruko couldn't see her.

"Do you have a better idea genius." Inuyasha snapped back this time. "This is the only way we can get you out of there. So shut up."

"Fine, fine, just get me out of here." Shena sighed in defeat. "Oh and one more thing, Miruko?"

"Yes."

"Remind me to shoot you ass for this later on ok?"

"Same as always." Miruko mumbled. "Are you ready?"

"If I die I swear I'll haunt you all in the afterlife."

"I'll take that as a yes."

With a tug the rope pulled taunt and with another tug Shena's feet left the floor.



The sense of claustrophobia was instant the moment Shena's shoulders cleared the bottom of the vent. She could fit but her hips rubbed painfully along the metal sides with every tug making sores on her skin. The air became thin like it would be if you were standing on a peak of some mountain and at the same time the pressure around her lungs felt like she was at the bottom of a very deep ocean. The side of the vent itself seemed to get smaller and smaller like they were trying to hold her in place and keep her forever under ground.

Shena's heart rate decided to go into over drive and her breaths came in short quick gasps. Her vision hazed, while her mind registered that she was about to pass out. _Can't breathe. _Her mind screamed. _I need air! Oh god I'm going to die! I'm going to-"_

BAM!

Her ears ringed and her forehead hurt like hell as Shena's head recoiled from her smashing it up against the metal side.

_Pull yourself together Shena! Worst things haven't killed! _She screamed at herself. Shaking her head it felt like someone had flipped a switch. Her sight became normal, her heart slowed, her lungs could breathe, and the vent seemed grow slightly.

Taking in one big breathe Shena turned her attention to the tug of the rope that was bringing her closer and closer to sweet blissful freedom.

Then she stopped moving.

Suddenly the vents walls seemed to shrink, but this time not in her head. The pressure around her hips double as the squeeze of the limited space bruised into her skin. The rope pulled tight, then went limp, then pulled tight again, but to no avail in form of movement.

"Miruko!" Shena called hysteria slipping into her voice as her heart beat jumped up a few notches. "I'm stuck! Get me the hell out of here!"

"Come down Shena your going to be fine." Kagome voice tired to reassure her.

_Easy for you to say and its not working_. Her mind snapped.

Shena wasn't used to small place. When she had live in a house once upon a time it had been huge with wide-open rooms and beautiful gardens. And when she didn't have a home anymore she had spent all her time outside since no let her into their home. Most people didn't want 'trash' in their house. All of this made her have a horrible fear of tight restricting places. With no space there was no way to fight if attacked making her feel like a cornered child.

_No! I'm not a child! _Her mind warred. But no matter how hard she told herself that her fear always seemed to get in her way.

Just like the way the smell of smoke always clouded her mind with nightmares and the look of fire, smoldering and ready to devourer anything as it licked the air, made her shiver.

Snapping out of her thoughts Shena vaulted the present.

"Miruko get me out of here now." Shena hissed.

"Shena calm-"

"I am calm." Shena snapped back.

Silence greeted her from the top.

Suddenly a small mass of fluffy brown fur landed on her head. With a mumbled cry of pain Shena shook her head to dislodge what ever was sitting up there, only to feel little hands warping their way into her hair and Shippo's small child like face occupying her line of sight.

"Don't worry Shena" It took everything she had not to groan. Would people please stop saying not to worry. "We'll get you out of here in a minute." Shippo smiled before slipping down and making another small glass veil appear, this one with no seal and purple liquid sloshing inside, from inside his shirt. Gripping the stopper between his teeth Shippo popped the veil open and Shena was greeted with the most disgusting smell that made her gag and pale a little while Shippo simply held his nose and pour the concoction all over her clothes where her hips were stuck. Oh god she was going to smell.

"Yuck! Shippo what is that stuff. It smells horrible."

"Something Sango had."

"What is it?"

"I don't think you want to know." Shippo stated slipping the now empty veil back into his shirt.

"Are sure this stuff is going to be enough to get me out of here."

"Combined with Miruko's Kazazana we'll have you out of here in a second."

Silence stretched.

"Excuse me?" Shena finally said. "Repeat that. I think I must be hearing things cause I just swore you said Miruko's Kazazana." Shena laughed a little. What a ridiculous idea. Miruko wouldn't dare-

"I did say Miruko's Kazazana Shena."

Shippo didn't know what to make of Shena's reaction. First her mouth dropped open followed seconds later by a strangled cry of disbelief. Then she snapped it shut hard enough for him to hear her teeth clang against one another. Eyes narrowed to slits and as she hiss out a "what?" and demanded an answer.

"Don't worry Shena, Miruko would never-''

"Will you please stop saying don't worry!" Shena hissed. "What if per say Miruko sucks _me_ up into that cursed hand of his? When what? I have ever right to be worried."

Feeling Shena's dark aura go up a few knots Shippo decide it was time to go topside. "You'll be fine. See you soon Shena." He peeped before making a clean get away up rope.

For a moment Shena felt like yelling at him to get his fat furry butt back down here, but decide her anger deserved another target. "Miruko are you insane!" Shena spat out turning her head upward as far as it would go.

"Calm down Shena." Miruko said smoothly. I took all she had not to all at him again. "You're going to be fine."

"Why can't Inuyasha pull me out?" Shena demanded.

"I tried." Inuyasha answered irritation sliding into his voice.

"Try _harder._"

"Shena this is the only way out unless you want to stay in there forever." Sango voice rationed with her, and although Shena hated to admit it she knew Sango was right. But still Shena had the _I'm about to die _ideas running her head.

"On the count of three." Miruko called making Shena snap, again, out of her think.

"Wait, I'm not ready." Shena yelled.

"One!"

"Miruko I hate you!" Shena hissed.

"Two!" Taking a deep breath Shena bit down hard on her tongue to stop her from screaming.

"Three!"

The rope went completely taunt, pulling hard against Shena's wrists and biting into them with hard. Slowly Shena felt herself slip upward and then with a greasy pop break free all together.

And she did scream.

The walls of the vent flew by in a blur giving way to open air and clear skies. Every thing seemed to slow down to where seconds became minutes. Above the sky was open with buildings of stone and wood reaching up to it like open arms. Stars sparkle mysteriously as though great her from a long abscess of not basking in their glow. Shena saw trees, beautiful green trees, which surrounded her giving her the sudden sense of home where a mother protects her child.

Then her face land into the dirt filling her mouth and nose with its dry, earth smell and taste. Coughing a spluttering Shena sat up spitting out a mouth full of dirt and giving a few curses under her breath before she sensed all the eyes on her. Looking up Shena faced the people who had saved her life more times then she could count.

They looked the same, a little traveled worn and muddy, but completely the same. It was like time had just stopped for them and nothing had change their appearance over the half year she had be absent from their mists. Kagome still wore her odd outfit she called her school uniform. Sango in her none demon slaying out-fit, hair pulled back and out of her face. Miruko in his blue Monk garb and Inuyasha in his bright red fire rat clothes, all staring at her as though she had just dropped out of the sky.

Shena snorted pulling a mask over her feelings and rose to her feet. "About damn time you got here." Shena stated hands on her hips. "What took you so long?" And with that the ice cracked and every one slipped into their normal ways just like it had been before Shena had ran off on her own.

"Just like you to get your self into so much trouble. Damn you just can't keep yourself out of trouble can you." Inuyasha stated knocking her lightly on head with his fist.

"Nice to see you to dog breathe. What have you been doing? Chasing your tail and rolling around in the dirt." Shena snide back.

"Why you-"

"Inuyasha sit!" Kagome command and with Shena's deep satisfaction Inuyasha face connected with the dirt at her feet. "Stop harassing her. Do you know what this poor girl has been through?" She bit out at the half demon now removing himself from he ground. Side stepping Inuyasah all together Kagome warped Shena into a warm motherly hug. "Oh Shena we were so worried about you." She soothed.

Not used to human contact like hugs Shena froze turning stiff in Kagome's embrace. Kagome towered over Shena with the top of Shena's head coming only up to the other woman's shoulder. But with the way she was held now her head was tilted upward so could she Sango giving her a small smile and Miruko watching her with a slightly sheepish look over Kagome's shoulder

A looked like he had just done something Shena would not like.

That's when Shena notice her hair was two inches shorter then it had been minute before. Know her hair was not in a tightly bound braid but a unraveling ponytail, hairs shifting with the wind into her face.

Pulling out of Kagome hug, Shena glared at Miruko.

"If you ever try that again." Shena snapped. "I will personally shoot you in the ass with the sharpest arrow I have."

"And still threatening people like a little devil I see." Inuyasha cut in finally removing himself from the ground. "You haven't changed Shena." He said ruffling her hair, which he knew she despised.

"Glad I could help." Miruko laughed inching closer to Sango.

It was at that time every one heard the sound of the heavy metal door opening coming out of the vent. Silence was then followed by a string of colorful words before what sounded like a food platter hitting the floor and two sets of heavy footsteps running away in the opposite direction.

"I believe." Shena stated tearing her eyes away from the vent breaking the silence. "That it is time to make my grand get away. You do have a camp don't you dog breath."

Leaving the insult to dangle Inuyasha merely nodded and motion every one to follow as he turn and lit like hell out of Konoha with every one right on his tail.



"You have got to be kidding me?" Inuyasha said across the red and orange campfire.

To busy stuffing her face with warm over the campfire-cooked fish on a stick she was holding with one hand to her face, Shena only shrugged in response. Wincing Shena curled the fingers of her other hand, as Kagome sitting be her side, applied ointment and bandages to the welts around her wrist, courtesy to those damn iron shackles. Once Kagome was done Shena switched hands and continued to eat her food with bandaged hand as Kagome proceed to medicate her other wrist.

"This just keeps getting better and better." Inuyasha mumbled shifting on the ground. "First it was that damn sword, then that pain in the ass trip into those cursed mountains, and now he have to deal some demon long ago vanished sealed into a kid."

"Ya." Sango said petting Kirara behind the ear, who sat in her lap curled into a little fluffy ball. "I thought the nine tailed fox was long gone. Didn't he vanish and leave his whole clan behind over 50 years ago."

"Who is the nine tailed fox anyway?" Kagome ask stuffing her medical supplies back into her backpack. "I've never heard of him."

"You wouldn't have." Shena answered throwing the uneatable part of her fish back into the fire. "He live during Inuyasha's fathers time and was part of the great nine."

"My old man?" Inuyasha perked sitting up straighter.

"Ya, years ago your father started a alliance between nine different strong demon clans. It work really well till he died then it just fell apart. Years later the nine leader of the nine different clans in the alliance, the great nine, disappeared off the face of the earth. That's all I know about it."

"Where did you learn this from?" Miruko asked.

"She taught me." Shena answered flatly ice curving around 'she' warning everyone it was a subject best left alone. Everyone knew who she meant anyways. She just didn't say her name because it she hated the way the it effected Kagome. "But don't see what having nine tails is such a big deal though?"

"It's a rating system among the fox demons. And the nine tailed fox is called the Great Kyubbi not nine tailed fox." Shippo popped in staring far away into the fire with a distanced look in his eyes. "When I was younger," Shippo continued, "My dad had me memorized all the laws of fox society, though my parents lived outside the main clan. A lot has change since then but the basics are still the same. A fox demon is ranked by the number of tails he or she has when they are born. Sometimes a demon can go up a level and grow two or more tails but most demons stay with the number of tails they are born with. One tailed are the lowest but master shape shifters with only minimum fire based attacks. The higher up the scale you go the more demons attacks shift from shape shifting to brute force, high magic, and high fire techniques. But the higher on the scale you go the more rare that type of fox demon is found. There are hundreds of four tailed and quite a few five tailed, but the Kyubbi was the first nine tailed since the great age of demons. He was born into the royal family and he was primed to be the head of the fox clan since his birth. When his parents died of old age the Kyubbi took the throne and he was the first to jump to Inuyasha father's offer of an alliance and because of this the fox demon clan thrived. I was little when my parents learn of his disappearance from a wandering fox demon. My parents had long ago left the main clan and we were so dissent of them that his disappearance didn't affect me at all. I fact I've never seen him in my whole life."

"Wow" Kagome exclaimed. "I didn't know the fox demon clan had such an inner working."

"So who is on the throne known?" Shena asked looking over to Shippo was still curled up staring into the fire and probably staring deep into his past as well.

"His sister, if she is still alive. I haven't been in touch with the main clan since my father's death." There was a hint of loss in Shippo's voice and Shena winced slightly. "She is said to be a eight tailed and as great a leader as her brother. But again I've never seen her either."

Silence laid over the group like a woolen blanket snuffing out anyone's thoughts of speaking but waiting for their neighbor to open his or her mouth and utter words. Shena sifted uneasily on the dirt ground seeing Kagome give her a look ever once in a while that was riddled with worry and even doubt. What was she so work up about? Shena really wanted to ask but decided it wasn't her place to pry at the workings of Kagome's head.

Suddenly Inuyasha snorted slipping onto his feet with little to no effort. "We need to leave this area." He declared glancing into the fire. "Too many people know your face by now Shena. They might even have a bounty or something on your stupid head knowing your damn luck." At this Shena stuck out her tongue in defiance smile quirking the sides of her lips. "Will head back north over the mountains drop you off at Keada's-"

"_Drop me off?"_ Shena's face dropped its smile descending into an ugly frown as her eyes sharpened and glared. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm coming with you." She said firmly.

"No you're going north." Inuyasha answered back.

"Shena I think it would be a good idea…" Kagome's voice trailed off as Shena jumped up to her feet and glared at the half demon before her.

"What's with this kick me to the curb all of a sudden. Last time you were all like 'sure if she wants to get herself killed she can tag along'. I can hold my own weight. I won't slow you down-"

"Shena, how long are you going run around pretending your fine?" Inuyasha snapped.

"What does that mean?" Shena gasped anger rising flushing her cheeks with color.

"Damn it Shena! Look at yourself! You're a wreck. You smell corrupted and Kagome can easily see that your Shikon no Tama shards have become more corrupted then they were when we saved your ass the first time around. How long are you going to last till those things kill you? So stop acting like your fine and dandy." Inuyasha yelled voice rising high above the crackle of the dying fire.

Shena gaped at him, her mouth hanging open, and her eyes wide. "I don't know what your talking about." Shena said lamely turning to Kagome for help.

Kagome only gave her a sad deep-eyed look that spoke what she was going to say long before she opened her mouth. "We all can see it Shena. If you don't give up your shards now their going to kill you."

"You don't know what your talking about." The words gust out of her mouth before she could think. Self-denial curled around ever syllable.

"God damn it your stubborn!" Inuyasha cursed. "Can't you see were trying to help you."

"Who do you think you are my parents?" Shena yelled. "Last time I check I was an orphan. I _need_ this shards, without them I can't-" Shena mouth snapped shut with a audible click. Glaring at the ground Shena could feel all the eyes look at her.

"What do you need them for Shena?" Inuyasha asked knowing he had hint sore spot. "Your stupid revenge streak. How long are you going to go on about this-"

"Well isn't that calling the kettle black. How long are you going to go on revenging your dieing love for Kikyo?" Just like she wanted Shena could see her words burn into Inuyasha's face making his anger raise more.

"Kikyo cares about you Shena." Sango said gently from her spot. "She was the one that told as about how bad you were getting a while back…" the words died in her throat as she saw ever muscle in Shena's body twist and tense.

"_She's here_" The word fell like acid for Shena's lips. "When?" She demanded firmly.

"It doesn't matter Shena-" Miruko tried to sooth the rising tension in the air.

"It matters to me." Shena snapped back. Straitening her shoulders Shena gave one last glare in Inuyasha's direction and turned and stormed out of the camp. "I'll be back by dawn." She yelled over her shoulder. "_But_ I'm not going north."

"Shena" Kagome called after her rising to her feet to follow her.

"Let her go Kagome." Miruko said simply with his eyes closed. "She needs time to fume."

"She's an idiot." Inuyasha cursed plopping back down with a frown as Kagome walked around the fire and sat down next to him laying her head on his shoulder for comfort.

"Do you think we were to hard on her." Kagome asked.

"No we weren't." Miruko stated simply opening his eyes to slits and staring at the fire. "She says she is not a child, so she needs to stop acting like one."



"Damn you Inuyasha." Shena mumbled under her taking a savage kick at a decaying log lying in her way. "Who does he think he is? _You're going back north." _Shena said pitching her voice up to make her voice sound airy and annoying. "And who said I wanted to leave anyway. Maybe I want to stay right here." Sighing Shena flopped over in the grass and looked up the opening branches of a tree.

Letting her eyes drupe Shena focused her eyes on the stars seeing if they would give the comfort she needed. But tonight she was disappointed to see the stars looked dull and far away as though they were shunning her and punishing her by not lending her their warmth.

What she had said to Inuyasha had been harsh, but see had been so mad that it had just slipped out. And at that point she hadn't cared what she would've said, only if it made Inuyasha hurt and badly.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid." Shena whispered under her breath lower and lower in till not even some right next to here would have heard it. Well she had gotten what she wanted but and the same time she made herself look like a bitch and worse yet…she had probably stabbed Kagome with her words also.

Opening her eyes Shena glared at the stars. How dare they shun her, they had in easy. All the stars had to do was sit in the sky and shine the butts off and everyone loved them. The _stars_ didn't have to deal with ninjas, demons, and all of the above for that matter. Stars didn't have to deal with problems of any sort.

Unlike her.

Problem number one: everyone knew about her little problem…ok her _big_ problem.

Ever since her twelfth birthday Shena had been losing little by little, bit by bit, her control. More and more Shena had slipped into the corrupted power that resided in the shards. Sure she had slipped before but now it was getting to the littlest of things was triggering the reactions. Shena could kill someone before she could even stop if she slipped again.

It's not like she hadn't done it before.

Grimacing Shena shut her eyes tight trying to block out the hideous images of blood that danced like a wicked horror video behind her eyelids.

At first it had been a small thing, a little flare here and there. The wanting to kill suddenly jump to throb right under her conciseness before being detected and pushed back down to the confines of the very back of her mind.

Then the nightmares had started. Every night it was the same, not the same dream but the same theme of blood and horror that dance around in her mind holding them in their death grip still she surfaced screaming in terror. But she had dealt with it. Soon she learned not to cry out after falling out of one nightmares. She had stuffed any evil feelings down into her brain and locked them under chains and keys.

Now it was different. After her fight with Hayaloula all those little whispering words of darkness had escaped and increased ten fold. Always whispering things like _kill _and _destroy_ and worst yet _you'll love the feel of blood on your hand the cries of death in your ears_.

Giving her head a vicious shake Shena cleared her thoughts and once again pushed it all down to the bottomless fathoms of her mind and soul.

Problem number two was even worse the problem number one: Naruto.

As much as Shena declared Naruto a utter idiot she had come to the point in under a week to where she considered him a friend or at least a nice kid. And if she wasn't damned Shena was not going to leave him hang on a thread for that damn Hayaloula with a sign hanging around his neck saying 'hey legendary nine tailed fox here. Come get me!' And although Shena knew Naruto could put up one hell of a fight she wasn't quite sure he could take a full-fledged demon with years and years of training to the spec of demon fighting knowledge she had given him.

Inuyasha wouldn't let Shena stay around here. Even she had to emit it was dangerous for her to show her face. It was best if she left. But then again Hayaloula would be back and looking for revenge. Naruto had ripped her whole arm off. She might level the city out of sheer rage at being beaten by a human. And Shena would not run away and watch it happen over her shoulder. She would not watch another village burn to the ground.

In Shena mind there was only one option, one clear option that had right written all over it. She knew Inuyasha wouldn't mind, he knew Shena would rather die and thousand deaths then set up a pyramid of her own just to watch it fall into death, demons, and fire. There was only one option.

Shena was going to take Naruto with her and the gang.



Never in her life had such a small piece of paper caused Tsuanda such a headache.

Throwing her head back as she took a swing of her sake Tsuanda gave another downward glance to the wrinkle brown stained piece of paper laid before here eyes laughing at her in its own silent way. Knitting her brows together Tsuanda slammed her sake bottle down onto the desk so hard in shook.

The girl looked harmless with the her blank stare coming off the paper from eyes that were a somewhat creepy and unnatural green with her dark black hair pulled back in a simple pony tail.

When Kakashi had brought her in she didn't look the least dangerous. Want did she weigh, like 105 pounds, but still ate just enough to have some muscle. The girl was scar free except for ten scars running along her finger, six on the left four on the right. And to top it all off the fifth hokage was completely baffled by her choice in weapon.

Come on, a bow and arrows, who used those things anymore.

As for the wanted poster, it hadn't even come from Stone but from and missing Rain Nin Konnoha ANBU had gunned down over two week ago. It had been folded into one of his hidden pockets. On the back was a bunch of incoherent ramblings like 'July 7 death of nine' and 'Blood basin 2:00 p.m. on the 12."

The writing had been regarded as the rambling of a mad man the rain very much-wanted dead but archived now the less.

The big mystery now was _where the hell did this kid come from_. She had no identification and no one could find any info on her at all. All villages kept close tabs on their warriors and civilians even if they had no fighting skill. And yet nothing pop up of having the name Shena and fitting the description. It was like she had just fallen right out of the sky.

But mysteries could wait. What the hell were they going to do with her? Naruto seem willing to lie straight to her face for the girl but yet she seemed so hostile toward the rest of them that it seemed she didn't what other humans to get close to her and see what she really was about. Something was going on and Tsunade had no clue what it was.

This situation couldn't get any worse.

At that moment the door burst open and Genma came charging through out of breath and almost tripping on the carpet. Irritated and being interrupted from her thoughts Tsunade head snapped up and demanded what the hell he wanted.

And form the look Genma gave her she already knew the answer before the he even open his mouth to yell.

"Lady Hokage! The girl has escaped!"


End file.
